HE  ADMIRABLE  LADY 
BIDDY  FANE: 


HER  SURPRISING  CURIOUS  ADVENTURES  IN 
STRANGE  PARTS  &  HAPPY  DELIVERANCE 
FROM  PIRA  TES,  BA  TTLE,  CAPTIVITY,  &  OTHER 
TERRORS;  TOGETHER  WITH  DIVERS  ROMAN- 
TIC &  MOVING  ACCIDENTS  AS  SET  FORTH 
BY  BENET  PENGILLY  (HER  COMPANION 
IN  MISFORTUNE  &  JOY),  &  NOW  FIRST  DONE 
INTO  PRINT 


BY 

FRANK     BARRETT. 


NEW  YORK: 
THE  F.  M.  LUPTON  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 


CONTENTS. 


I.    I  am  Taken  Out  of  the  Pillory  and  Narrowly  Es- 
cape going  to  the  Whipping-Post,       ...        I 
II.    I  am  taken  again  by  Jack  Geddes  and  Others,  and 

Rescued  by  Rodrigues,       .        .        .        .        .         8 
HI.     By  a  Cunning  Stratagem   I   am  got  out  of  Jack 
Geddes'  Hands,  and  Brought  Aboard  the  "  Sure  j 

Hawk," 15 

IV.    I  come  to  the  Canaries  in  Better  Plight  than   I 

Started .         .        .20 

V.    To  my  Mortal  Peril  I  Overhear  a  Horrid  Scheme 

of  Rodrigues  and  Ned  Parsons,  .        .         .26 

VI.     I  am  nearly  Undone  by  my  Shadow— Ned  Parsons 
and  Rodrigues,  their  Argument,  with  the  Com- 
pact that  Followed,    ......      31 

VII.    The  Perplexity  of  being  neither  Thorough-faced 

Rogue,  Arrant  Fool,  nor  Honest  Man,        .         .      35 
VIII.    We  are  Overcome,  and  with  Barbarous  Treatment 

Set  Ashore  and  Left  There 42 

IX.    We  find  Ourselves  on  a  Desert  Island,  and  Little 

Comfort  besides,         .        .        .        ...        .46 

X.    I  Quit  the  Island  and  my  Friend,    .        .        .        -S3 
XL    I  am  Excellently  Served  by  my  Famous  Invention, 

and  come  to  England  not  much  the  Worse  for  it,      62 
XII.     Lady  Biddy  gives  me  a  Word  of  Comfort,       .        .       67 

XIII.  The  Crossed  Heart 72 

XIV.  We  are  Dogged  by  a  Black  Ship,  to  the  great  Dis- 

comfort of  our  Companies,          ...         .77 
XV.     We  fall  into  sore  Disasters  of  Raging  Tempest  and 

Bloody  Battle, 83 

XVI.    The  Battle  ended  to  our  Complete  Discomfiture,    .       89 
XVII.     I  am  Shot  out  of  one  Ship  and  Crawl  into  Another, 

with  what  Advantage  may  yet  be  seen,       .       ^      92 
XVIII.    Greatly  put  to  it  to  Know  what  to  do,  I  do  Nothing,      96 


CONTENTS. 


LIX. 


The  Rainy  Season  comes  to  an  End,  but  by  my 
Delay  we  are  Balked  of  Returning  into  the  Bar- 

aquan, 307 

LX.    We  try  Another  Means  of  Escape,  whereby  we 

are  as  Nearly  Undone  as  may  be,     .        .        .312 
LXI.    I   Fall    into    a  Dismal    Sickness,   and    Recover 

thereof 318 

LXII,     I  am  Put  to  Great  Torment  by  my  Passion,  .    322 

LXIII.     We  Enter  into  a  Cavern  the   like  of  which  no 

Man  has  ever  yet  Told  of,         ,  327 

LXIV.     How  (amongst  other  Matters),  in  seeking  to  Kill 

a  Snapping  Boar,  we  Fall  upon  an  Old  Friend,     334 
LXV.    We  come  at  length  to  the  Mouth  of  the  Oronoque, 

but  with  Dismal  Forebodings 339 

LXVI.     Touching  those  Accidents  that  had  Happened  to 
Sir  Bartlemy  as  he  lay  at  the  Mouth  of  the 
Oronoque,          .        :        .        .       ,        .        .    344 
LXVII.     Lady  Biddy  Breaks  her  Troth,  and  we  hear  Fal- 

mouth  Bells  again,    ...,,.        .    349 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY 
FANE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

I  AM  TAKEN  OUT  OF  THE   PILLORY   AND   NARROWLY  ESCAPE 
GOING    TO   THE    WHIPPING-POST. 

AS  'tis  the  present  mode  to  embellish  a  history  with  a 
portrait  of  the  writer,  it  will  not  be  amiss  if  I  here  at 
the  outset  give  you  some  hints  by  which  you  may  see,  as 
in  a  frontispiece,  the  image  of  that  Benet  Pengilly  who  is 
about  to  tell  you  many  marvelous  things. 

What  kind  of  man  I  am  you  may  better  judge  when  you 
come  to  the  last  page  of  this  history  ;  my  business  now  is 
to  present  my  image  as  I  was  ;  to  which  end  I  would  have 
you  picture  a  man  close  upon  thirty  years  of  age,  clad  in  a 
jerkin  and  breeches  of  leather,  six  foot  and  some  odd 
inches  in  height,  gaunt  and  lean  as  a  famished  wolf,  fierce 
visaged,  with  an  unkempt  beard  of  hair,  and  a  shock  ragged 
as  a  bush,  and  both  as  black  as  any  ink  ;  a  deep-sunk, 
bloodshot  eye,  and  a  swarthy  skin,  all  besmirched  with 
broken  egg,  filth  and  blood.  This  pretty  portraiture  you 
shall  frame  in  the  town  pillory,  which  stood  over  against 
the  church  of  St.  Mary,  in  the  city  of  Truro,  with  this  very 
true  description  writ  under  the  headpiece  : 

"  BENET  PENGILLY,  A  STURDY  ROGUE." 

And  now  to  begin  my  story,  I  must  tell  you  that  I  had 
stood  in  this  pillory  from  sunrise,  a  sport  for  all  the  cow- 
ards in  the  town.  I  say  cowards,  for  surely  those  who 
have  courage  are  never  cruel  to  the  helpless,  and  these — 
the  strongest  of  whom  would  have  fled  before  me  had  I 


2  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

been  free — had  baited  me  as  curs  bait  a  tethered  bull,  with- 
out any  kind  of  mercy,  jeering  at  me,  and  making  me  a 
mark  for  any  beastliness  that  came  to  hand,  ay,  and  sharp 
stones  to  boot,  as  the  blood  from  my  lips  and  cheek  testified. 

There  were  never  less  than  a  couple  of  score  of  this  rab- 
ble about  me,  hallooing  and  whooping  ;  for  as  fast  as  one 
left  me  to  go  about  his  business,  another  took  his  place. 
But  amongst  the  constantly  changing  crowd  was  one  who, 
seated  upon  the  stone  bench  where  the  town  porters  are 
wont  to  rest  their  loads  awhile,  never  took  his  eyes  off  me, 
nor  budged  from  his  place  from  the  time  he  came  hither, 
which  was  about  ten  o'clock,  till  now,  when  the  sun  was 
past  the  meridian.  He  watched  me  as  a  surgeon  marks 
the  bearing  of  his  subject  under  the  knife  ;  nay,  rather 
'twas  as  a  fiend  might  watch  the  torment  of  the  damned,  for 
a  hellish  smile  crept  over  his  face  as  some  insult  more 
cruel  than  the  rest  provoked  me  to  a  state  of  desperation. 

This  man  I  had  seen  before.  His  name  was  Rodrigues. 
'Twas  he  who,  in  the  month  of  March,  came  into  Plymouth, 
his  ship  all  decked  out  with  ribbons,  his  crew  arrayed  in 
lace  and  cambric,  and  every  mother's  son  as  drunk  as  a 
beggar  ;  'twas  he  who  had  set  tubs  of  sherries  on  the  Hoe, 
staved  in  the  heads,  and  in  sheer  wantonness  and  drunken 
folly  cast  the  wine  right  and  left  with  his  joined  palms  ;  to 
say  nothing  of  divers  other  senseless  tricks  whereby  in 
something  less  than  two  months  he  had  squandered  treas- 
ure to  the  value  of  nigh  upon  ^7000  and  left  not  enough, 
when  his  ship  was  seized,  to  pay  the  King's  dues.  He  still 
wore  the  remnants  and  wreck  of  his  former  finery — silk 
stockings,  satin  trunks,  velvet  doublet,  and  a  hat  with  a 
feather  in  it  ;  but,  lord  !  so  broken,  stained,  and  bedrab- 
bled  through  his  mad  frolics  that  plain  homespun  had 
looked  rich  beside  it. 

I  have  heard  that  this  Rodrigues  was  of  gipsy  origin,  and 
indeed  he  looked  fierce  and  brutal  enough  for  that  or  any- 
thing else.  He  had  a  short,  curling  beard.  His  hair  grew 
low  down  on  his  brows,  and  fell  behind  his  ears  in  long, 
wiry  ringlets.  His  eyes  were  small,  but  remarkably  pierc- 
ing, and  the  aspect  of  his  face  was  very  eager  and  cruel  ; 
but  that  which  made  his  looks  most  terrible  was  his  teeth, 
which  were  pointed  sharp,  like  a  wolf's,  so  that  when  he 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  3 

displayed  them  he  looked  more  like  a  beast  of  prey  than  a 
natural  man.  This  peculiarity,  however,  was  not  due  to  his 
birth,  but  was  rather  brought  about,  as  I  learned,  through 
living  many  years  a  captive  among  cannibal  savages,  whose 
practice  it  is  to  file  their  teeth  after  this  fashion.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  disfigurement  his  ears  were  slit,  and  he  had  a 
long  white  scar  quartered  down  his  tawny  cheek  ;  in  short, 
he  was  as  ill-looking  and  horrid  a  scoundrel  as  ever  I  did  see. 

'Twas,  as  I  say,  high  noon,  and  matters  stood  thus, 
when,  of  a  sudden,  the  clamor  of  my  persecutors  was  stilled 
as  by  enchantment,  and  the  sound  of  horse  with  the  jing- 
ling of  harness  struck  on  my  ear  ;  and,  casting  my  eye  in 
that  direction,  I  perceived  a  company  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men with  their  servants,  all  very  richly  mounted,  drawing 
hither.  I  took  not  much  heed  of  them  to  discern  who  they 
were,  being  callous  sick  with  the  pain  and  insult  I  had  suf- 
fered so  many  hours,  until  they  drew  near  within  a  stone's 
cast  to  see  what  sport  was  forward,  when  Rodrigues  jump- 
ing down  from  his  stone  bench,  and  making  them  a  mighty 
respectful  obeisance  of  his  battered  hat  with  its  broken 
feather,  my  curiosity  was  pricked,  and  I  once  more  looked 
that  way.  Then  my  heart  sank  lower  than  ever,  and  I 
would  have  been  thankful  had  my  face  been  beat  out  of  all 
recognition  ;  for  foremost  among  the  company  was  Lady 
Biddy  Fane,  and  'twas  clear  by  the  anger  in  her  face  that 
she  recognized  me.  Yet,  the  next  moment  was  I  glad,  and 
my  heart  was  lifted  up  with  a  savage  exultation  ;  for  now, 
thinks  I,  she  will  see  to  what  degradation  and  ruin  hath 
she  brought  a  man  of  promise  by  her  cruelty. 

I  do  not  think  there  ever  was  in  the  whole  world  a  young 
woman  so  beautiful  as  Lady  Biddy  Fane  ;  nor  is  there  like 
to  be  again.  Had  I  not  thought  so,  should  I  have  aban- 
doned myself  to  despair  because  of  her  cruelty  ?  Nay,  nor 
should  I  have  had  this  history  to  tell.  And  yet  may  there 
be  women  as  straight  and  fairly  proportioned  as  she,  though 
none  mors  so  ;  and  others  with  a  skin  of  that  rare  pale 
clearness  ;  and  others,  again,  with  eyes  as  large  and  dark 
and  spirited,  with  sweet  lips  lined  with  snowy  teeth,  with  a 
perfect  nose  (shapely  as  any  Greek's)  and  wavy,  nut-brown 
hair  ;  still,  I  say,  you  shall  not  find  another  one.  woman  in 
whom  are  combined  the  graces  of  so  many  together,  with  a 


4  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

spirit  so  lofty,  noble,  fearless,  and  faithful  as  hers.  I  might 
discourse  of  her  beauty  for  many  pages,  and  yet  fail,  for 
want  of  words,  to  do  her  justice  ;  but  to  make  an  end  of 
this  matter  briefly,  I  say,  again,  she  was  incomparable. 

On  her  right  hand  was  my  uncle,  Sir  Bartlemy  Pengilly, 
Knight,  the  same  who  adventured  with  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
in  the  quest  for  gold  upon  the  Oronoque  ;  and  a  hale,  lusty 
old  man  he  was,  very  personable,  with  shining  white  hair 
curled  closely  over  his  head,  and  a  well-clipped  beard  ;  on 
her  left  hand  was  Sir  Harry  Smidmore,  a  young  man  of 
good  parts,  as  I  must  acknowledge,  albeit  I  hated  him  ex- 
ceedingly, by  reason  of  his  standing  in  better  grace  with 
Lady  Biddy  Fane  than  any  other  of  her  suitors,  and  they 
were  as  numerous  as  butterflies  over  a  fair  garden  on  a  sum- 
mer's day.  Besides  these  three  were  many  friends  of  theirs 
of  very  good  condition  ;  but  they  enter  not  into  this  history, 
so  enough  is  said  of  them. 

Now,  the  rabble,  thinking  this  company  was  drawn  up 
for  amusement,  presently  began  to  make  sport  of  me  ;  and 
one  caught  up  a  dead  cat,  which  had  served  before,  and 
flung  it  at  me,  and  another  a  cabbage  stump,  which  had 
likewise  served  ;  and  a  third,  finding  nothing  handier  than 
a  broken  pantile,  was  about  to  cast  that,  when  Sir  Harry 
Smidmore,  with  the  flat  of  his  sword,  fetched  him  a  clap  on 
the  arm  that  made  him  think  better  of  it.  Then  Lady 
Biddy,  with  scorn  and  disgust  on  her  countenance,  turned 
away,  and  the  whole  company  followed  her  thence,  whisper- 
ing together,  and  all  very  grave  ;  for  it  was  known  that  I 
was  Sir  Bartlemy's  nephew,  and  a  kinsman  of  Lady  Biddy's, 
and  that  I  had  disgraced  them  before  their  friends. 

After  them  went  Rodrigues  also,  at  a  brisk  pace  to  keep 
up  with  the  horse.  They  had  not  been  gone  long  when 
there  came  two  of  the  sheriff's  men  with  a  cord  to  loose  me, 
whereupon,  seeing  that  I  was  about  to  be  taken  from  the 
pillory,  the  whole  rout  that  were  in  the,  square  took  to  their 
heels  as  though  a  tiger  were  about  to  be  let  loose  on  them  ; 
for  I  was  a  man  of  terror  for  many  miles  about,  and  was 
known  as  "  Ben  of  the  Woods." 

The  sheriff's  men  first  freed  my  hands  from  the  boards, 
and,  making  fast  my  arms  about  me  with  their  cord,  they 
unlocked  the  headpiece,  and  then,  having  given  me  a 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  5 

draught  from  a  pitcher,  for  I  reeled  like  one  in  liquor  being 
taken  down,  they  led  me  up  the  High  Street  to  the  Dolphin 
Inn,  and  so  into  the  great  room  there,  where  at  a  table  sat 
the  justice  who  had  condemned  me  to  the  pillory,  with  Sir 
Bartlemy  Pengilly,  Sir  Harry  Smidmore,  and  some  others  ; 
and  against  the  wall  in  the  shadow  I  spied  Rodrigues. 

Being  brought  to  the  end  of  the  table  facing  this  com- 
pany, the  justice  made  me  a  discourse,  and  the  gist  of  his 
matter  was  that,  out  of  respect  for  Sir  Bartlemy,  he  had 
taken  me  from  the  pillory  before  my  time,  and  would 
absolve  me  from  further  punishment  if  I  would  give  my 
word  to  be  of'  better  conduct  henceforth  and  agree  to  the 
proposal  Sir  Bartlemy  was  about  to  make. 

Then  Sir  Bartlemy,  pushing  aside  the  bottle  that  stood 
before  him,  leaned  forward  and  addressed  me  thus  : 

"  Ben,"  says  he,  "  I  am  heartily  ashamed  of  you,  and  with 
the  greater  reason  because  you  are  not  ashamed  of  your- 
self. Look  at  me,  rogue  !  Do  you  see  that  my  eyes  are 
full  of  tears  ?  'Tis  for  shame  that  you  are  my  nephew  that 
I  weep,  and  not  for  pity,  for  I  do  assure  you,  sir  "  (turning 
to  the  justice),  "  I  loved  this  fellow,  and  not  so  long  since 
neither  ;  a  brave-looking  and  comely  man  he  was  but  a  year 
ago  ;  of  good  parts  and  great  promise,  whom  I  had  been 
proud  to  call  my  son  ;  and  a  brave  man  he  should  be  by 
reason  that  his  father  endured  manfully  much  hardship  in 
adventuring  under  Sir  Francis  Drake,  and  died  beside  Sir 
Richard  Grenville  fighting  those  fifteen  great  galleons  of 
the  Spaniard.  But  what  a  base,  desperate  rascal  are  you  " 
(turning  again  to  me  in  anger)  "  to  abandon  yourself  to 
despair,  to  yield  up  everything  without  a  struggle  and  at 
the  first  shot  of  adversity,  bringing  dishonor  upon  your 
family  thus  !  Had  you  but  yourself  to  think  of,  vagabond  ? 
Had  your  father  thought  only  of  his  own  comfort,  would  he 
willingly  have  endured  hardship  and  privation,  or  sought 
to  face  the  Spanish  guns  ?  'Twas  the  honor  and  glory  of 
his  queen  he  thought  of  before  all  ;  and  had  you  truly  loved 
yonr  cousin,  you  would  have  set  up  her  happiness  before 
your  own,  and  done  naught  to  make  her  blush  for  so  base 
a  subject." 

"  Ay,  surely  !  "  cries  the  justice,  frowning  upon  me. 

"  Yet  must  we  not  be  too  hard  on  the  fellow,  neither," 


6  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

says  Sir  Bartlemy,  turning  again  to  him  ;  "  for  'tis  not  as  if 
he  had  forsaken  a  life  of  pain  for  one  of  pleasure,  but  quite 
the  contrary  ;  for  he  was  light-hearted  and  gay  before  this 
cruel  stroke  ;  and  now  what  creature  on  the  face  of  this 
smiling  world  is  more  deplorable  ?  And,  truly,  for  a  man 
to  abandon  himself  to  a  life  of  such  desolation  and  misery 
as  he  passes  in  the  woods,  his  mind  must  be  unstrung,  and 
all  its  music  turned  to  discord  ;  and  there  is  naught,  I  hear, 
like  disappointment  in  love  to  unsettle  the  reason,  though 
nothing  of  the  sort  has  ever  troubled  mine  ;  for  if  one  lass 
frowned  I'd  quickly  find  another  who'd  smile  ;  and  I  war- 
rant," says  he,  merrily,  with  a  sly  dig  at  the  stout  old  jus- 
tice— "  I  warrant  you  have  often  done  the  same,  Master 
Anthony." 

"  Let  us  go  to  the  point,  Sir  Bartlemy — to  the  point," 
said  the  justice,  severely. 

"  That  will  I  with  no  more  ado.  Look  you,  rascal,"  says 
my  uncle,  thumping  the  table  and  bending  his  brows  on  me, 
"  you  have  done  little  that  I  should  love  you,  and  much  to 
undo  the  love  I  bore  you  ;  yet  will  I  make  an  effort  to  save 
you  from  disgrace  for  your  father's  sake — and  something 
for  your  own — for,  God  knows,  you  are  a  wretch  as  much 
to  be  pitied  as  hated  ;  so  here  to  the  point.  I  am  bent 
upon  getting  that  treasure  which  lies,  as  we  know  full  well, 
beyond  the  Oronoque,  in  order  that  it  fall  not  into  the  hands 
of  the  Spaniard.  Tis  too  late  for  me  to  make  this  venture 
under  my  own  command,  though  I  fain  would  ;  but  a 
worthy  commander  have  I  found,  and  under  him  you  shall 
take  service  as  his  lieutenant  and  second  in  command,  and 
share  the  profits  of  this  enterprise  in  due  proportion." 

"  Wait !  "  cries  the  justice  ;  "  here  surely  is  a  mistake  ! 
You  cannot  intend  to  place  this  fellow  taken  from  the  pillory 
next  in  position  to  your  commander  !  " 

"  He  is  my  brother's  son,"  replies  Sir  Bartlemy,  "  and  I 
have  faith  that  he  will  bear  himself  well  when  this  present 
distemper  of  mind  shall  be  blown  off  by  the  wholesome  sea 
gales  ;  for  the  rest,  this  matter  concerns  the  crew  of  the 
ship  and  the  commander.  If  they  are  willing,  should  I 
object  ? " 

"  But  are  they  willing  ?  "  asks  the  justice.  "  There  is 
the  point." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  ^ 

"  Here  is  the  ablest  man  of  the  crew — one  who  has  sailed 
with  Drake,  gone  through  many  perilous  adventures,  and 
been  himself  a  master.  Hear  what  he  says.  Speak  up, 
Rodrigues." 

Rodrigues  came  out  of  the  shadow,  and,  pointing  his 
finger  at  me,  says  he  :  "  That  man  is  worth  any  ten  men  of 
our  crew,  and  such  a  man  a  crew  needs  for  master.  We 
want  no  puppets,  but  men  who  can  fight  and  suffer  with 
stiff  lips."  Then  he  dropped  back  into  the  shadow 
again. 

I  was  grateful  to  this  man.  Hope — that  so  long  had  lain 
dead  within  me — sprang  up  to  life,  and  an  eager  desire  for 
wild  adventure  seized  upon  me.  And  at  that  moment  the 
door  at  the  end  of  the  room  over  against  the  head  of  the 
table  opened,  and  Lady  Biddy  Fane  came  into  the  room ; 
then  my  imagination,  already  kindled,  blazed  up  with  a 
mad  conception  of  winning  untold  gold,  glory,  and  honor — 
all  to  lay  at  her  feet,  with  the  possibility  that  she  might 
accept  them  and  me. 

But,  lord  !  there  was  little  in  her  aspect  to  encourage 
such  a  hope,  as  she  stood  there  erect  and  scornful,  her 
pretty  brows  bent  in  angry  scorn  as  she  looked  on  me, 
tapping  her  silk  skirt  impatiently  with  her  riding-whip.  But 
this  did  not  daunt  my  spirit,  for  I  knew  how  sweet  those 
brows  were  when  they  unbent,  and  that  her  dainty  hand  was 
more  apt  to  caress  than  to  strike. 

While  my  heart  was  aflame  with  this  sudden  return  of 
passion,  the  justice  spoke  : 

"  What  says  the  commander  ?  There  the  point  is,  I 
take  it." 

"  Speak  up,  Sir  Harry,"  says  Sir  Bartlemy. 

"  I  will  have  him  for  my  lieutenant  as  willingly  as  I 
would  make  him  my  friend,"  says  Sir  Harry  Smidmore. 

Hearing  this  my  heart  being  filled  with  feeling  rebelled 
against  my  reason,  for  I  knew  not  until  that  moment  who 
was  to  be  the  commander  of  this  expedition. 

"  Now,  Ben,"  says  Sir  Bartlemy,  "  you  have  the  chance 
to  redeem  the  past — ay,  more  than  that — to  make  us  love 
you  as  we  never  loved  you  yet.  Will  you  accept  the 
offer  freely  made  by  us  ?  " 

"  What !  "    says  I  to  myself,   "  win  gold  and  honors  for 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Smidmore  to  lay  at  her  feet  ?  Never  !  "  And  so  I  laughed 
with  a  brutal  scorn  and  shook  my  head. 

"  An  obstinate,  contumacious  rascal,"  cries  Sir  Bartlemy, 
with  one  of  those  sea  oaths  which  he  was  more  free  to 
utter  than  I  have  been  to  set  down  here  ;  "  yet,"  says  he, 
softening  in  a  moment,  "  must  we  bear  with  him  by  reason 
of  his  misfortunes  to  the  utmost  limits.  I  have  failed  ; 
plead  thou  for  him,  dear  girl  "  (turning  to  Lady  Biddy), 
"  or  he  must  go  back  again  to  the  pillory." 

"  Ay,  with  all  my  heart,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  advancing  ; 
"  andA  as  you  love  me,  sir,"  bending  slightly  to  the  justice, 
"  I  do  beg  you  to  favor  my  pleading.  Send  him  not  back 
to  the  pillory,  for  sure  when  that,  together  with  my  uncle's 
gentle,  kind  persuasion,  fails  to  win  him  to  a  decent  be- 
havior, 'tis  evident  that  a  sharper  remedy  is  needed  for  his 
disorder.  Prythee,  then,  dear  sir,  send  him  to  the  whipping- 
post ;  there  to  be  soundly  whipped." 

"  Why,  so  I  will,"  cries  the  justice  cheerfully,  clapping 
his  fist  on  the  table  ;  "  for  I've  heard  no  better  suggestion 
this  bout.  To  the  whipping-post  he  shall  go." 

"  Not  alive,"  I  muttered  ;  and  then  straining  with  all  my 
might  I  burst  the  cords  that  bound  me,  and  turned  to  the 
door  ;  whereupon  the  sheriff's  men  threw  themselves  before 
me.  But  one  I  took  by  the  throat  and  the  other  by  the 
shoulder,  and  swinging  them  together  I  flung  them  against 
the  wall  with  such  force  that  the  oak  panels  cracked  again, 
and  they  sank  to  the  ground  like  things  «f  clay.  Then  I 
strode  out  of  the  room  and  thence  into  the  pure  air,  and  no 
one  had  the  stomach  to  stay  me. 


CHAPTER  II. 

I    AM    TAKEN    AGAIN    BY   JACK    GEDDES    AND   OTHERS,    AND 
RESCUED    BY    RODRIGUES. 

SIR  BARTLEMY'S  house  was  built  upon  a  hill  not  far 
from  St.  Maw's  and  looked  over  Falmouth  Haven  to 
Penny-come-quick.     His  estate  was  mostly  woodlands, 
and  skirting  the  river  Fal  extended   north  beyond  Philligh 
and  east  as  far  as  Tregony.    In  the  midst  of  these  woods  had 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  9 

I  lived  for  many  months  unmolested,  the  worthy  old  knight, 
with  good  intent,  bidding  his  foresters  let  me  kill  what 
game  I  would  for  my  use  ;  and  here  had  I  built  me  a  hut 
as  a  shelter  against  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  thatch- 
ing it  with  broom  and  sods  of  turf.  But  twas  a  mistaken 
kindness  on  his  part,  for  this  sufferance  only  tended  to 
complete  that  state  of  savagery  into  which  I  was  sinking. 

From  childhood  I  have  loved  the  woods,  and  found 
delight  in  studying  the  secrets  of  nature — the  growth  of 
herbs,  the  places  where  they  may  be  found  ;  the  ways  of 
birds  and  beasts,  and  the  like  ;  and  when  rny  hopes  were 
all  cast  over,  I  had  fled  thither,  saying,  "  Here  is  a  mistress 
whose  smile  is  not  to  be  wooed  in  vain  !  "  And,  indeed,  for 
a  troubled  spirit  I  know  no  comfort  so  soothing  as  the 
woods  after  a  spring  shower,  when  all  is  fresh  and  sweet, 
and  every  little  blade  of  grass  seems  to  smile.  For  the 
most  part  my  state  was  that  of  utter  solitude.  Many  a  day 
I  heard  no  sound  but  my  own  footfall,  and  saw  nothing 
but  the  still  trees.  For  weeks  and  weeks  I  met  no  human 
creature  ;  yet  I  had  no  inclination  to  seek  a  companion. 
But  at  times  my  nature  would  revolt  against  this  unnatural 
condition  of  solitude,  and  a  mad  thirst  for  debauchery 
would  seize  me.  Then  with  my  bow  would  I  kill  a  buck, 
and,  selling  it  to  those  who  were  ever  ready  to  buy  venison 
of  me  at  a  fourth  of  its  value,  I  would  go  into  Truro  and 
spend  my  money  in  some  gross  frolic  like  that  which  had 
brought  me  to  the  pillory  (as  I  have  shown). 

And  now,  having  dwelt  long  enough  on  my  originals,  yet 
not  too  long,  for  I  would  show  truly  to  what  degradation 
may  a  man  bring  himself  by  self-abandonment,  I  will  con- 
tinue  this  history  without  any  further  digression. 

To  my  hut,  then,  in  the  wood  did  I  betake  myself  after 
my  escape  from  Truro,  refreshing  myself  on  the  way  with 
a  plunge  in  the  cool  river  ;  and  being  arrived  at  my  home, 
as  I  may  call  it,  I  went  to  a  hollow  oak  hard  by,  which 
served  me  as  a  storehouse,  to  see  if  aught  was  there  to 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  my  stomach  ;  but  finding  nothing 
save  a  hare  which  I  had  hung  there  before  leaving,  and 
which  now  stank,  for  I  had  been  absent  best  part  of  three 
days,  so  that  I  could  not  eat  it,  hungered  though  I  was,  I 
picked  up  my  bow,  which  also  I  kept  in  this  place,  and, 


10  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

taking  a  turn  in  the  wood,  I  had  presently  the  chance  to 
kill  a  wood-pigeon.  Then  I  built  a  fire  with  dry  sticks,  of 
which  there  was  no  lack  at  this  season,  laid  my  pigeon  in 
the  embers,  and  when  it  had  lain  there  as  long  as  my 
patience  would  endure,  I  stripped  off  the  skin  and  feathers, 
and  devoured  it,  using  my  fingers  for  fork  and  my  teeth  for 
knife  ;  and  thus  having  partly  quieted  my  stomach,  though 
I  could  have  eaten  half  a  dozen  such  small  game,  but  was 
too  tired  to  seek  more,  I  threw  myself  on  the  earth  within 
my  hut,  and  fell  asleep  at  once,  nor  did  any  pricking  of 
conscience  trouble  me  in  the  least. 

And  here  I  slept  on  till  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, as  I  judge,  when  an  unwonted  sound  awoke  me  ;  for  I 
had  contracted  the  habit  of  sleeping,  as  it  were,  with  my 
ears  open.  But  being  mighty  heavy  with  sleep  I  did  no 
more  than  sit  up  and  glance  stupidly  through  the  opening 
of  my  hut.  I  saw  naught  but  a  tranquil  glow  over  the  west 
through  the  still  leaves  of  the  trees  ;  and  a  nightingale 
then  bursting  out  into  song  at  no  great  distance,  I  con- 
cluded there  was  nothing  to  fear  ;  and  throwing  myself  on 
the  ground,  in  a  minute  I  was  again  sound  asleep. 

Nothing  disturbed  me  after  that  through  the  night,  but 
soon  after  daybreak,  as  I  take  it,  my  ears  were  assailed  by 
a  confusion  of  sounds,  and  ere  I  could  spring  to  my  feet,  a 
fellow  threw  himself  upon  my  chest,  another  knelt  upon  my 
legs,  and  a  third  laid  strong  hands  upon  my  shoulders,  and 
in  a  trice  I  felt  cords  cutting  into  my  arms  and  binding 
them  to  my  sides. 

"  You  escape  not  this  time,  Master  Benet,"  growled  a 
voice,  and  in  truth  my  captors  were  as  good  as  this  fellow's 
words,  for  enough  cord  was  bestowed  about  me  as  would 
have  trussed  up  an  elephant.  My  captors  were  six  ;  all 
stout  fellows  and  well  armed,  amongst  whom  I  recognized 
one  of  the  men  that  had  served  me  the  day  before,  and  I 
cursed  my  folly  that  I  had  lain  myself  open  to  be  taken  in 
this  way  ;  for  I  might  have  foreseen  the  pursuit  had  I  given 
it  a  thought.  However,  cursing  was  no  good  ;  there  was  I 
clapped  up  and  in  a  fair  way  to  get  my  punishment  doubled, 
and  more  than  that.  And,  as  there  was  no  likelihood  of 
escape,  the  only  thing  left  me  was  to  bear  my  ill-luck  with 
the  fortitude  of  despair.  Yet  my  heart  sank  as  I  saw  them 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  it 

take  up  my  bow  which  I  had  laid  beside  me  on  going  to 
sleep,  for  I  knew  I  should  have  it  no  more,  and  how  could 
I  get  food  or  aught  else  without  that  when  I  got  my  liberty 
again  ?  Better  to  take  my  life,  or  rob  me  for  ever  of  my 
liberty,  than  take  that  by  which  I  lived,  thought  I. 

They  haled  me  out  into  the  open,  and  there  for  the  first 
time  this  day  I  spied  the  gipsy  Rodrigues.  He  was  seated 
on  a  fallen  tree,  with  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  and  his  jaws 
in  his  hands,  smoking  tobacco  in  the  end  of  a  clay  pipe  ; 
and  now  he  had  his  keen  eyes  fixed  on  me,  watching  how  I 
took  this  new  buffet  of  fortune  with  the  same  look  he  had 
worn  the  day  before,  when  I  stood  in  the  pillory. 

I  guessed  it  was  his  step  that  had  aroused  me  the  fore- 
going evening,  and  that  he  led  on  the  sheriff's  men  to  catch 
me,  which  was  pretty  near  the  truth  of  the  matter,  as  I  shall 
presently  show. 

To  make  sure  that  I  should  not  escape,  the  men  tied  me 
up  to  a  tree  ;  then  they  proceeded  to  regale  themselves 
from  a  store  of  meat,  with  which  their  wallets  were  well 
filled,  making  very  merry  with  me  the  time  ;  after  which 
they  consulted  together  in  a  low  voice  ;  and,  one  of  them 
having  parleyed  for  a  few  minutes  with  Rodrigues,  they  all 
stretched  themselves  out  on  the  soft  sward,  and  in  a  short 
time  were  asleep  and  snoring  like  so  many  swine,  which 
surprised  me  somewhat,  seeing  that  now  the  sun  was  getting 
pretty  high. 

For  some  while  Rodrigues  sat  as  still  as  any  carved 
image,  smoking  his  pipe  and  looking  at  me ;  then  up  he 
gets,  and  passing  the  sleepers  as  silently  as  might  be,  he 
comes  to  my  side  ;  and  putting  first  his  finger  on  his  lips, 
and  jerking  his  thumb  over  his  shoulders  with  a  sly  leer  to 
bid  me  be  silent,  he  pulls  a  letter  from  his  breast  and  showed 
me  my  name  written  upon  it.  This  he  thrusts  back  in  his 
breast,  and,  after  a  glance  over  his  shoulder  to  make  sure 
all  were  still  sleeping,  he  cut  the  cords  that  bound  me  to  the 
tree  with  his  dagger,  and  leads  me  a  good  stonecast  distant, 
where  we  might  converse  in  a  low  tone  without  being  heard. 

Here  he  again  lugged  out  the  letter,  and,  spreading  it 
out  (the  seal  being  already  broke),  he  held  it  before  my 
eyes  to  read  ;  for  he  had  been  careful  not  to  sever  the  cords 
that  tethered  my  arms  to  my  side. 


12  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

It  was  my  uncle's  hand  and  signature. 

"You  have  read  this?"  says  I. 

Rodrigues  shrugged  his  shoulders,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  I 
had  been  a  fool  else,"  and  then  says  he,  with  the  utmost 
assurance  : 

"  I  was  to  have  given  it  to  you  last  night,  but  you  were 
sleeping  so  sweetly  I  had  no  heart  to  wake  you.  Besides, 
I  thought  you  would  more  readily  listen  to  his  advice  if  you 
were  in  bonds  than  if  you  were  free." 

"  So  you  betrayed  me  ? " 

"  Not  at  once.  I  led  the  fellows  up  and  down  in  the 
moonlight  best  part  of  the  night,  that  they  might  be  over- 
come with  fatigue  this  morning,  and  so  give  me  the  oppor- 
tunity of  some  serious  conversation  with  you.  Now  read 
what  Sir  Bartlemy  has  to  say." 

I  was  in  no  position  to  resent  this  insolence ;  so  I  did 
what  was  next  best — swallowed  it,  and  followed  his  advice  ; 
and  this  is  what  I  read  : 

"  NEPHEW  BENET, — You  are  no  longer  safe  in  my  woods,  for  I  have 
no  power  to  shield  you  from  the  law.  Even  now  the  officers  are  out  to 
apprehend  you,  and  God  knows  what  may  befall  if  you  are  taken.  If 
you  have  any  feeling  for  me,  any  love  for  your  father's  memory,  or  any 
respect  for  yourself,  you  will  escape  this  new  shame.  My  ships  lie  in  the 
haven  ready  to  depart,  and  Sir  Harry  is  still  willing  to  accept  you  as  his 
companion  and  friend  in  the  noble  enterprise  now  toward.  I  do  beg  and 
implore  you  be  not  a  fool  and  a  villain  as  well,  but  quickly  accept  this 
offer.  Rodrigues,  who  bears  this,  does  undertake  to  carry  you  safe  to 
Flushing,  where  a  boat  lies  in  readiness  to  take  you  on  board  the  Sure 
Hawk,  where  you  shall  find  all  comfort  and  good  cheer,  to  say  naught 
of  the  loving  gratitude  of  thine  old  uncle, 

"BARTLEMY   PENGILLY." 

This  gentle  letter  did  somewhat  move  my  heart ;  and 
surely  its  sensibility  had  been  gone  beyond  all  recovery  had 
it  not  responded  to- so  warm  an  appeal ;  and  my  first  feeling 
was  that  I  would  do  his  bidding.  Then  I  bethought  me 
what  a  mean  and  sneaking  thing  it  was,  after  refusing  this 
offer  when  I  was  free  to  accept  it  when  I  was  not  free  ;  and 
what  a  hang-dog  cur  I  should  appear  to  all  the  crew  when 
my  story  became  known,  and  how  (under  the  mask  of  pity 
and  patronage)  Sir  Harry  Smidmore  must  scorn  me  for  a 
paltry  fellow.  And  with  that  came  the  remembrance  of 
Lady  Biddy's  contempt  ;  and,  coupling  these  two  together, 


THE   ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  13 

I  was  wrought  again  with  fierce  jealousy  and  hatred  ;  and 
I  did  resolve  that  I  would  die  ten  thousand  deaths  rather 
than  give  them  this  food  for  their  scorn. 

Rodrigues,  subtly  watching  me,  must  have  seen  the  mad- 
ness in  my  eye,  for  he  whispered  at  this  point — 

"  Sir  Harry  is  wondrous  eager  to  get  you." 

"  Curse  Sir  Harry  !  "  I  muttered. 

"  Not  I,"  says  he,  with  a  quiet  laugh.  "  He'll  give  me  a 
score  of  gold  pieces  if  I  take  you  to  him  ;  and  no  wonder, 
for  he  will  be  well  repaid  with  caresses  when  he  takes  the 
news  to  Lady  Biddy." 

"  You'll  get  no  pieces  from  him,  nor  he  kisses  from  her, 
through  me,  I  promise  you." 

"  Your  ears  will  be  cropped  for  a  certainty  if  you  are 
taken  back  to  Truro."  And  then,  as  I  made  no  reply,  he 
adds,  "  You  are  minded  to  break  your  uncle's  heart  rather 
than  your  own  pride." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  there's  a  way  by  which  I  may  spare  him 
shame,  and  myself  as  well." 

"  Are  you  man  enough  to  thrust  a  knife  in  your  own 
heart  ?  "  says  he. 

"  Ay  !  "  says  I  joyfully  ;  "  do  but  try  me.  Give  but  my 
forearm  fair  play  and  lend  me  your  dagger.  You  shall  be  re- 
warded, I  warrant,  when  you  tell  Lady  Biddy  I  am  no  more. 
Or  do  you  thrust  it  into  me  if  you  doubt  the  use  I  should 
make  of  the  knife.  I  promise  you  I  will  not  awake  a  single 
sleeper  with  my  groans.'' 

He  nodded  approvingly,  but  made  no  attempt  to  take  me 
at  my  word. 

"  Life  isn't  worth  much,"  says  he,  "  to  a  fool.  And  'tis 
only  a  fool  who  thinks  there's  never  another  loaf  to  be  got 
when  he's  eaten  the  last  crust.  Look  at  me,"  spreading  his 
arms  and  surveying  his  rags — "  a  prince  last  month,  a  beg- 
gar to-day.  What  of  that  ?  I'll  be  a  king  next  year.  And 
so  may  you  be,"  he  adds,  after  a  pause.  But  that  did  not 
tempt  me  ;  so  presently  he  goes  on  : 

"  If  you  had  seen  what  I  have  seen,  and  if  you  were  as 
hideous  as  I  am,  and  as  old,  yet  you  would  not  talk  of  end- 
ing your  life.  If  you  had  seen  as  I  have  seen" — speaking 
slowly,  yet  with  passion,  as,  through  his  half-closed  eyes,  he 
seemed  to  be  looking  at  what  he  described—"  a  land  where 


14  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

the  forests  are  flower-gardens,  more  fair  than  hand  of  man 
can  make  ;  where  trees — not  like  these  stunted  things,  which 
are  but  bushes  by  comparison — where  trees  I  say,  seem 
hung  with  precious  gems,  and  waters  run  on  beds  of  gold 
and  silver,  and  every  rock  is  dazzling  crystal  ;  where  rich 
fruits  tempt  the  appetite  they  never  cloy  ;  where  flying  birds 
are  like  the  flash  of  gems,  and  their  song  more  sweet  than 
your  musician  ever  heard  in  dreams  ;  where  the  sun  never 
parches  nor  cold  winds  bite  ;  where  the  gentle  air  is  brisk 
as  wine  and  charged  with  the  scent  of  leagues  of  flowers  : 
if  you  had  seen  that  land,  I  say,  you  would  want  to  see  it 
again  before  you  died." 

These  hints  of  southern  glories  I  had  heard  before 
from  my  uncle ;  though  between  his  speech  and  this 
poetic  gipsy's  there  was  all  the  difference  betwixt  north 
and  south. 

"  To  see  this  land  might  tempt  you  to  oblige  Sir  Bart- 
lemy,"  says  he.  Then,  after  a  bit,  he  continues,  "  But  it 
does  not,  I  perceive.  You  know  the  intent  of  this  enter- 
prise— first,  to  gratify  your  uncle's  whim  ;  and,  next,  to  en- 
rich Sir  Harry,  that  he  may  wed  Lady  Biddy.  You  have 
no  relish  to  help  him  that  way — to  come  home  with  a  grue- 
some face  to  pull  the  joy-bells  at  their  wedding?" 

"  No,  by  the  Lord  !  that  will  I  never  do  !  "  says  I. 

"  Then  your  answer  to  that  letter  is  '  No  '  ? " 

"  A  thosand  times  '  No  ' !  " 

"  You  refuse  the  offer  ?  " 

"I  do." 

"  I  see  you  mean  what  you  say,"  says  he,  looking  me  keen- 
ly in  the  eye,  "  and  I  am  right  glad  it  is  so.  I  am  not  mis- 
taken in  you,  Pengilly.  I  saw  there  was  mettle  in  you  from 
the  first,  else  I  had  not  taken  all  this  trouble  on  myself  to 
win  you.  Had  you  said  '  Yes'  to  that  letter  you  would  have 
had  me  for  your  enemy,  and  it  would  have  gone  ill  with 
you,  I  promise.  As  it  is,  I  am  your  friend,  as  I  will  quick- 
ly prove.  For,  first,  I  will  give  you  freedom,  and  after  that 
a  voyage  to  the  south  ;  whence  you  shall  speedily  return, 
your  ship  laden  with  gold  :  then  shall  you  have  possession 
of  your  mistress.  All  this  I  promise  ;  ay,  and  more,  for 
you  shall,  if  you  will,  revenge  yourself  of  the  insults  this 
proud  maid  has  heaped  upon  you,  and  humble  the  man  who 


If  HE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BlDDY  FANE,  15 

would  have  taken  her  from  you,  so  that  he  shall  not  dare  to 
show  his  face  before  her.     What  say  you  to  this  ?  " 

I  could  say  nothing  on  the  moment,  being  greatly  per- 
plexed by  this  unexpected  turn  ;  and  ere  I  could  command 
my  senses  to  inquire  of  Rodrigues  how  he  purposed  com- 
passing that  which  he  proposed,  we  were  both  mightily 
startled  by  hearing,  at  no  great  distance  behind  us,  the 
sound  of  men's  voices  ;  and  presently  one  above  the  rest 
set  to  hallooing  "  Jack  Geddes  !  Jack  Geddes  !  "  which  was 
the  name  of  that  sheriff's  man  who  had  bound  me  as  afore- 
said. Then  on  the  other  side  we  heard  the  men  who  lay 
asleep  rousing  each  other  with  a  great  confusion  of  sound 
that  showed  they  had  discovered  my  escape.  Thus  we  stood 
between  the  party  which  had  taken  me  and  a  second  party 
sent  after  to  help  them.  And  the  chance  of  getting  free- 
dom, to  say  nothing  of  riches  and  my  sweetheart,  looked 
more  unlikely  than  ever.  Yet  did  we  contrive  to  escape, 
as  I  shall  set  forth  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  III. 

BY  A  CUNNING  STRATAGEM  I  AM  GOT  OUT  OF  JACK  GEDDES* 
HANDS,  AND  BROUGHT    ABOARD    THE    "  SURE  HAWK." 

THE  two  parties  of  sheriff's  men  were  distant  from  each 
other,  as  I  took  it  by  the  sound  of  their  voices,   no 
than  a  hundred  yards,  so  that  we  could  not  burst  away 
in  any  direction  without  hazard  of  being  seen  ;  and  a  fool- 
hardy hazard  it  had  been,  for  Jack  Geddes  and   his  party 
were  armed  with  muskets,  and  would  not  have  scrupled  to 
use  them.     Yet  how  to  escape  did  not  appear  until  Rodri- 
gues (as  luck  would  have  it)  spied  a  fairly  deep  hole  which 
had  served  at  one  time  for  a  sawpit,  and  to  this  he  hurried 
me,  and  we  both  leaped  in,  and  there,  in  a  twinkling,  did  he 
scrape  aside  the  loose  sawdust  that  lay  at  the  bottom  ;  and 
in  the  trough  thus  hastily  made,  I,  seeing  his  intent,  threw 
myself  full  length,  and  as  quickly  was  smothered  over  from 
top  to  toe  with  the  sawdust,  so  that  nothing  was  visible  of  me. 
By  this  time  the  two  parties  were  joined,  and  there  they 


l6  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

set  up  a  great  shouting  and  cursing  because  I  was  no  longer 
bound  to  the  tree  as  I  had  been  left.  And  not  only  did  they 
curse  me,  but  they  cursed  Rodrigues  as  heartily,  vowing 
they  would  pepper  him  with  their  bullets  as  a  faithless  villain 
if  they  saw  him.  Whereupon  this,  Rodrigues,  laying  him- 
self prone  upon  my  body,  set  a  most  dismal  groaning,  like 
one  in  pain,  hearing  which  Jack  Geddes  and  the  rest  came 
rushing  to  the  pit.  Seeing  him  there  all  alone  and  doubled 
up  as  though  he  had  been  broke,  half  a  dozen,  in  one  breath, 
began  to  question  him  how  he  came  there,  what  was  amiss 
with  him,  etc.  To  which  he  replies  with  a  groan: 

"  'Tis  all  along  of  that  Pengilly  !  I  was  but  dozing, 
when  I  heard  one  cry  '  Jack  Geddes  '"  (here  a  groan), 
"  and  the  same  moment  I  saw  Pengilly  with  a  mighty 
wrench  tear  himself  from  the  tree.  Up  I  started  and  after 
him,  when,  being  but  half  awake,  I  threw  myself  in  this 
cursed  hole,  and  here  have  I  broke  my  arm,  I  do  believe. 
But  do  you  leave  me  here  (where  I  am  as  well  as  elsewhere), 
and  catch  the  villain.  I  would  not  for  the  loss  of  both  arms 
miss  seeing  his  ears  cropped." 

"  Ay  !  we  will  catch  him  :  have  no  fear,"  says  Geddes  ; 
"  scatter  yourselves,  my  fine  fellows,  and  shoot  down  the 
rascal  if  you  do  but  sight  him,  for  we  shall  suffer  for  it  if 
he  escape  us." 

Whereupon  the  men,  more  concerned  for  themselves  than 
for  any  hurt  of  Rodrigues,  started  off  like  hounds  unleashed, 
and  each,  in  his  several  direction,  bent  upon  taking  me 
again  alive  or  dead.  And  it  was  none  too  soon,  for  the  saw- 
dust entering  my  mouth  and  nostrils  when  I  breathed,  I 
was  pretty  nigh  choked — to  say  nothing  of  the  oppression 
I  suffered  from  the  cords  that  pinned  my  arms  and  Rodri- 
gues lying  upon  my  back. 

So  when  they  were  gone  and  Rodrigues,  standing  up  and 
peering  over  the  edge,  said  that  all  was  clear,  I  lifted  my 
head,  shaking  off  the  sawdust  and  spitting  out  that  which 
had  got  into  my  throat,  and  breathed  again. 

"  Now,"  said  Rodrigues ;  "  Now  may  we  escape,  for 
being  all  scattered,  our  pursuers  are  less  likely  to  take  us." 

"  Do  but  cut  this  cord,"  says  I,  "  and  I  warrant  not  any  two 
shall  take  me." 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  I  will  cut  your  bonds  with  a  good  heart. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  I? 

But  first  you  must  swear  to  be  secret  and  silent  ;  nay,  you 
must  swear  also  to  be  obedient  to  my  direction  without 
question  or  murmuring,  else  will  I  leave  you  here  to  fare 
for  yourself." 

I  promised  him  this,  for  I  was  in  no  position  to  haggle 
over  terras  ;  yet  my  promise  was  not  enough  for  him,  but 
he,  taking  his  dagger  by  the  blade,  held  it  to  my  mouth, 
and  would  have  me  kiss  the  cross  of  it,  swearing  by  that 
sign  as  a  Christian  to  obey  him  in  every  particular.  And 
this  I  did,  the  more  readily  because  of  the  cord  which  Jack 
Geddes  had  knotted  so  cruelly  about  my  arms  that  it  bit  into 
my  flesh  to  my  intolerable  hurt. 

Having  thus  made  me  take  oath,  he  cut  the  cord,  and  I 
was  free  ;  yet  for  some  time  could  I  not  use  my  arms  with 
any  freedom,  by  reason  they  were  so  benumbed  and  bruised. 
Nevertheless,  I  managed  to  scramble  up  out  of  the  pit 
after  Rodrigues,  and  thence,  I  following  on  his  heels,  with 
the  stealth  of  any  cats,  we  pushed  our  way  by  bush  and 
briar  through  the  thickest  part  of  the  wood,  where,  at  sight 
of  an  enemy,  we  might  lie  down  and  be  unseen.  On  we 
went,  Rodrigues  leading  and  keeping  the  sun  well  before, 
for  a  matter  of  three  miles  or  thereabouts,  without  encoun- 
tering any  of  my  pursuers  ;  and  then,  perceiving  that  if  we 
kept  on  in  this  direction  we  must  shortly  come  to  Flushing, 
which  lies  (as  I  have  said)  on  the  hither  side  of  the  Fal, 
opposite  Penny-come-quick,  I  twitched  Rodrigues  by  the 
skirt  and  gave  him  to  understand  this,  adding  that  there 
was  not  a  fisherman  there  but  knew  me,  and  would  have 
me  hanged  if  he  could  ;  and  this  was  true,  for  I  was  known 
and  feared  all  round  and  about  these  parts,  and  held  to  be 
a  wild  man  of  the  woods,  very  dreadful  and  dangerous,  and 
a  bogey  to  frighten  children  withal. 

"  I  know  well  enough  where  I  am  going,"  says  he. 

"  That  may  be,"  says  I ;  "  yet  this  is  but  a  stepping  out 
of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned." 

Whereupon  he  taps  the  handle  of  his  dagger  as  a  sign  to 
me  to  remember  my  oath,  and  that  is  all  the  satisfaction  I 
got. 

So  on  we  go  again,  still  keeping  the  sun  before  up  ;  and 
descending  the  hill  anon  we  come  to  the  river-side,  and  here 
Rodrigues  stops,  looking  to  the  right  and  left,  as  if  uncer- 


18  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

tain  ;  then,  putting  his  hand  over  his  mouth,  he  gives  the 
cry  of  "  Cuckoo !  "  as  natural  as  ever  I  did  hear,  and 
straight  there  comes  an  answer  in  the  same  manner  from  a 
thicket  further  up  the  river-side.  Thither  we  made  our 
way,  but  with  great  care,  now  being  no  more  than  a  fur- 
long or  thereabouts  from  the  village,  screened  off  by  a  jutt- 
ing point  of  land  well  timbered  ;  and  soon,  passing  through 
the  said  thicket,  we  came  on  a  little  creek,  in  which  lay  a 
boat,  wherein  sat  a  couple  of  seamen  as  tawny  as  Rodrigues, 
but  stouter  and  better  favored,  albeit  one  lacked  an  eye. 

All  about  this  creek  there  lay  an  open  space,  from  which 
an  alley  ran  up  into  the  wood  ;  and,  lest  he  should  be 
observed,  Rodrigues  would  not  advance  beyond  the  brush, 
whence  he  signaled  his  fellows  to  know  if  all  were  safe, 
And  he  with  the  one  eye,  rising  up  and  stretching  himself 
as  if  he  were  aweary,  spied  up  the  alley  and  all  round  and 
about,  and  then  signaled,  by  winking  his  one  eye,  that  he 
could  see  nothing  ;  whereupon  Rodrigues  bade  me  cross 
the  open  quickly,  get  into  the  boat,  and  lie  down  under  the 
sail  that  was  there.  He  came  not  himself,  but  was  gone 
when  I  got  to  the  boat  and  cast  my  eye  round  for  him. 
And  here  I  may  tell  what  I  afterwards  learnt  concerning 
him.  He  made  his  way  back  with  all  speed  to  the  sawpit, 
and  lay  there  as  if  he  had  never  budged  when  the  men 
came  back  from  their  search  after  me,  still  feigning  to  be 
greatly  hurt  with  his  arm,  though  happily  assured  that  it 
was  not  broken. 

Meanwhile  I,  following  his  direction  without  knowing 
what  the  end  thereof  might  be,  got  into  the  boat,  and,  lying 
down  in  the  bottom,  was  covered  over  with  the  sail-cloth 
by  one  of  the  mariners,  while  the  other  loosed  the  boat 
from  its  moorings  ;  and  this  was  done  none  too  quickly, 
for  as  the  fellow  was  stepping  into  the  boat  from  untying 
of  the  headline,  who  should  come  down  into  the  open  but 
John  Geddes  himself,  as  I  knew  full  well  by  his  voice. 

"  Hold,  there  !  "  says  he,  hailing  the  seamen.  "  Have 
you  seen  a  great,  sturdy  fellow  in  a  leather  jerkin  pass  this 
way  ?  " 

"  Not  we,"  replies  one  ;  "  and  we've  been  on  the  look-out 
for  such  a  man  since  yesterday  afternoon — and  a  pox  to 
him !  " 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  19 

"  And,  pray,  who  set  you  to  wait  for  him  ? "  asked 
Geddes,  and  his  voice  told  that  he  was  now  close  by  the 
boat's  side. 

"  Why,  that's  my  master's  business  that  sent  us,  and  none 
of  jours,"  said  the  fellow. 

"  Hold  your  clapper,  Ned,  and  lend  a  hand  with  your 
oar,"  cries  his  mate,  "  for  the  boat  is  aground,  and  I  can't 
shove  her  off.  Yo,  ho  !  all  together  !  yo,  ho  ? — there  we 
be  !  Now  off  we  go,  Pengilly  or  no  Pengilly,  for,  curse 
me,"  says  he,  "  my  in'ards  will  stand  this  griping  no 
longer." 

Then  there  sprang  up  a  dissension  between  the  two  sea- 
men and  Geddes,  who  would  have  them  ferry  him  over  to 
Penny-come-quick,  and  they  would  not ;  and  he,  laying  the 
stock  of  his  musket  on  the  gunwale  to  draw  the  boat  so 
that  he  might  step  in,  one  of  them  flung  it  off,  while  the 
other  fetched  him  a  blow  on  the  head  with  his  oar  that 
laid  Master  Geddes  senseless  on  his  back.  Then  says  the 
first  to  the  other — 

"  Lay  to,  Ned,  for  God's  sake,  or  mischief  will  come  of 
this." 

All  this  while  I  lay  still  under  the  sail-cloth,  expecting, 
for  the  most  part,  nothing  less  but  to  feel  Geddes'  foot  step 
on  to  me.  But  his  business  being  so  concluded,  I  heard 
nothing  more  but  the  dip  of  the  oars,  the  ripple  of  water 
under  me,  and  the  working  of  the  rowlocks,  until  one  of 
the  men  said  to  the  other,  "  Pull  under  her  lee,  that  we  be 
not  seen  from  the  shore";  and  the  next  minute  the  boat 
bumped,  and  the  sail-cloth  being  whipped  off,  I  found  that 
we  lay  under  the  side  of  a  fine,  high  ship. 

"  Up  you  go,  comrade,  quick,"  says  Ned  (he  with  one 
eye). 

Then  up  the  rope  steps  that  hung  by  the  ship's  side  I 
sped,  and  being  come  on  deck  was  as  speedily  hustled 
clown  into  the  dark  hold  below,  where  they  who  had 
followed  me  down  barricaded  me  round  about  with  divers 
barrels,  bidding  me  lie  quiet  until  I  should  be  told  it  was 
safe  to  venture  forth. 

And  all  this  time  I  knew  not  that  I  had  come  as  a  run- 
away aboard  my  uncle's  ship  the  Sure  Hawk ;  but  so  it 
was. 


20  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

I   COME    TO    THE    CANARIES    IN    BETTER    PLIGHT    THAN   I 
STARTED. 

WHEN  the  seamen  had  hidden  me  away,  so  that  no  man 
not  knowing  the  ways  of  the  ship  could  well  come  at 
me  save  by  discharging  the  hold  of  its  stores,  one 
brought  me  some  meat  and  drink,  and  then  I  was  left  to 
myself  in  the  dark.  For  some  time  all  was  quiet  above,  but 
about  noon,  as  I  judge,  I  heard  a  great  bustle  on  the  decks  of 
pulling  ropes  and  the  like,  and  this  continued  all  day  until 
the  evening,  when  the  anchors  were  drawn  up  and  the  ship 
made  sail.  And  the  reason  of  this  commotion  was  that 
Rodrigues,  having  got  away  from  the  sheriff's  men,  under 
pretense  of  seeking  relief  for  his  arm,  sped  him  to  Sir  Bar- 
tlemy  Pengilly  to  tell  him  how  I  had  refused  his  offer,  but 
had  nevertheless  gone  aboard  the  Sure  Hau<k  to  escape  the 
law  ;  whereupon  the  knight,  mightily  pleased  with  this  turn, 
ordered  Sir  Harry  Smidmore,  who  then  lay  at  his  house,  to 
lose  no  time  in  departing,  but  to  take  advantage  of  the 
breeze  then  springing  up  to  set  sail  as  soon  as  might  be  ; 
and  the  stores  being  all  aboard  and  the  crew  in  readiness, 
Sir  Harry  set  about  this  business  at  once.  When  the  men 
stood  at  the  anchor  ready  to  heave  away,  Sir  Bartlemy  and 
Lady  Biddy  took  an  affectionate  farewell  of  Sir  Harry,  and 
bidding  him  with  tears  God-speed  and  a  happy  return, 
quitted  the  ship.  And  so  about  eight  o'clock  that  evening 
the  Sure  Hawk  (with  her  companion,  the  Adventurer),  sailed 
out  of  Falmouth  Haven  with  me,  Benet  Pengilly,  in  the 
lold. 

When  we  were  fairly  out  to  sea,  Rodrigues  came  down  to 
me  with  another  fellow  bearing  a  lantern,  and  bade  me 
come  out,  and  I  was  not  sorry  ;  for  besides  that  it  was  ex- 
tremely stuffy  down  there,  so  that  there  was  no  breathing 
with  any  comfort,  the  ship  had  begun  to  roll  and  pitch  in 
such  a  manner  that  I  feared  every  moment  nothing  less  but 
to  be  crushed  by  some  chest  or  barrel  being  thrown  upon 
me,  though,  indeed,  there  was  naught  to  fear  in  that  re- 
spect, as  I  learned  when  I  became  better  acquainted  with 
the  manner  of  these  things.  But,  indeed,  the  sea  ran  un- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  21 

conscionably  high,  and  the  ship  labored  painfully  all  that 
night  and  the  next  day,  and  after  that  the  next  night  again 
was  no  better,  so  that  it  was  surprising  to  me  that  we  had 
not  foundered.  Yet  that  was  the  last  thing  I  feared,  for, 
being  miserably  ill  and  as  sick  as  any  dog,  I  do  truly  think 
that  had  the  ship  split  I  should  have  made  no  effort  to  save 
myself. 

I  had  been  stowed  away  between  decks  among  some 
bales  of  goods  packed  securely  in  the  fore  part  of  the  ves- 
vel,  and  here  I  lay,  with  no  comfort  but  a  stone  jar  of  water, 
until,  waking  from  a  sound  sleep,  it  might  be  about  noon 
and  were  now  at  sea  three  days,  I  perceived  that  the  storm 
had  greatly  abated,  and  that  my  stomach  was  no  longer 
qualmish,  but  quickened  with  a  huge  hunger — as  well  it 
might  be  after  my  long  fast,  etc.  Then,  feeling  brisker 
than  I  had  yet  felt  since  we  set  sail,  I  sat  up,  and  a  savory 
smell  sharpening  my  appetite,  I  got  upon  my  legs,  and  so 
spied  half  a  dozen  seamen  seated  on  chests  under  the  light 
of  the  hatchway  before  a  smoking  mess  of  pork  and  pease. 
Thither  I  made  my  way,  though  not  without  difficulty,  the 
ship  still  rolling  immoderately,  and  begged  civilly  that  they 
would  let  me  eat  with  them.  Whereupon  one  shoved  the 
victuals  toward  me  that  I  might  help  myself,  but  not  a  word, 
good  or  bad,  did  any  of  them  speak,  which  was  more  notice- 
able because  they  had  all  been  laughing  and  talking  till 
they  saw  me.  Presently  a  pipe  sounded,  and  they  all  went 
up  above  ;  then  down  comes  Rodrigues,  and  it  was  the 
first  time  I  had  seen  him  since  we  were  at  sea.  He  had  on 
his  sea  skirt  and  large  boots  all  running  with  water,  for  it 
still  was  exceedingly  foul  weather,  and  his  hat  tied  down 
about  his  ears  with  a  red  kerchief.  But  he  was  in  good 
spirits,  and  asked  me  cheerfully  how  I  did  as  he  seated  him- 
self beside  me  and  helped  himself  to  meat  ;  and  having  an- 
swered his  inquiry,  I  told  him  how  the  seamen  scowled  at 
me,  and  begged  to  know  if  I  had  done  aught  to  deserve 
this  ill-will. 

"  Why,  yes,"  says  he  ;  "  for  had  it  not  been  to  save  you 
from  the  catchpoles,  we  should  never  have  ventured  to  sea 
in  such  a  rising  gale.  We  have  had  no  rest  since  we  left 
Falmouth,  and  like  at  any  moment  to  have  gone  to  the  bot- 
tom. For  aught  we  know,  our  consort  is  lost,  and  all  hands 


22  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

with  her,  not  having  been  seen  these  two  days.  And  this 
is  a  great  loss,  besides  being  a  bad  beginning  to  our  enter- 
prise, and  all  is  set  down  to  your  charge.  However,  it  is  in 
your  power  to  make  them  amends  and  win  their  love,  and  I 
make  no  doubt  you  will." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  says  I,  "  if  you  do  but  show  me 
how." 

"  All  in  good  time,"  says  he,  tearing  with  his  pointed 
teeth  the  flesh  off  a  knuckle-bone  of  pork  that  he  held  in  his 
hands  ;  "  all  in  good  time.  We  can  do  nothing  yet,  but  I 
look  to  you  for  help  by-and-by,  else  had  I  not  run  all  this 
risk  for  you.  And  yet,"  continues  he,  after  a  pause,  fling- 
ing the  knuckle-bone  behind  him — "  yet  it  might  be  well  for 
you  to  make  friends  with  the  captain  at  once.  He  asked  to 
see  you  this  morning." 

"  And  who  is  this  captain  ?  "  I  asked,  my  curiosity  awak- 
ening. 

"  Why,  Sir  Harry  Smidmore,  to  be  sure.  Did  I  not  tell 
you  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  I,  moodily. 

"  Then  you  might  have  guessed  it." 

And  this  was  quite  true,  if  I  had  been  in  a  humor  for 
guessing. 

11 1  have  been  trapped  and  despatched  to  sea  to  please 
Lady  Biddy,"  says  I,  savagely. 

"  Well,  you'll  bear  me  no  grudge  for  that.  There  was 
no  way  to  save  you  but  by  getting  you  aboard  the  ship." 
Then,  glancing  round  to  see  we  were  alone,  he  adds,  drop- 
ping his  voice,  "  And  if  Sir  Harry  Smidmore  made  to  sea 
with  you  before  you  could  escape,  that  he  might  please  his 
sweetheart  and  keep  you  and  her  well  asunder,  'twas  no 
fault  of  mine.  Don't  you  like  it,  Pengilly  ?  " 

I  ground  my  teeth  for  response. 

"  Would  you  be  even  with  him  for  this  trick  ?  "  he  asked, 
in  the  same  low  tone,  and  with  a  sinister  leer. 

"  Aye,  that  I  would  !  " 

"  So  would  I  in  your  place,"  says  he.  "  If  a  man  served 
me  that  way,  I'd — " 

Here  he  stopped,  and  taking  up  a  jack-knife,  he  stuck  it 
in  the  deal  board  that  served  as  a  bench,  and  pressed  on  it 
till  the  blade  came  out  on  the  other  side,  and  while  he  did 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  23 

this  his  sinewy  hand  grasped  the  board  as  if  it  were  a 
throat,  and  his  lips  were  drawn  back  close  to  his  pointed 
teeth  ;  then  he  looked  sidelong  at  me,  saying  never  a  word, 
as  if  to  know  how  I  took  this  hint. 

"  I  am  no  murderer,"  says  I,  terrified  by  his  manner  as 
much  as  by  his  suggestion. 

"  Why,  who  said  you  were  ?  "  says  he,  with  great  show 
of  indignation.  "  Cannot  a  man  by  steady  endeavor  go 
through  a  difficulty  as  I  have  gone  through  that  board 
with  this  knife  without  doing  a  mischief?  What  a  fool 
should  I  be  to  counsel  you  to  such  an  end  when  our  true 
success  depends  upon  you  being  good  friends  with  our 
captain.  Nay,"  he  adds,  "  if  I  thought  you  would  curb 
your  spirit  to  it,  I  would  beg  you  to  take  Sir  Harry's 
hand,  when  he  offers  it  to  you,  and  accept  his  friendship." 

"  That  can  I  never  do." 

"  So  I  thought.  Howsomever,  you  must  do  him  no  in- 
jury  or  insult  at  this  present.  And,  harkye,  I  know  it  for 
a  fact  that  he  wants  to  give  into  your  hand  a  sum  of  money 
entrusted  to  him  by  your  uncle  for  your  particular  use, 
that  you  might  furnish  yourself  presently  with  an  equip- 
ment worthy  of  his  nephew ;  and  this  you  must  not  refuse 
to  take.  Laugh  as  scornfully  as  you  will,  but  you  must 
take  it,  and  I  will  tell  you  for  why.  When  we  get  to  a 
port,  you  will  have  to  make  the  crew  merry  in  return  for 
the  hardships  they  have  suffered  on  your  account.  You 
must  win  them  to  your  side,  for  we  can  do  nothing  else." 

"  They  shall  have  every  penny  I  get,  and  welcome.  But 
tell  me  what  you  mean  when  you  say  we  can  do  nothing 
without  having  the  men  on  our  side?" 

"  I  mean,"  says  he,  "  that  without  them  you  will  get 
neither  riches  nor  your  sweetheart." 

"  And  how,  having  them,  am  I  to  win  these  ends  ?  " 

"  Leave  that  to  me.  I  have  promised  the  achievement, 
and  if  you  do  but  work  patiently  upon  my  instructions,  I 
will  not  fall  short  of  my  word.  '  More  than  this  I  can  not 
now  tell  you,  but  you  shall  know  more  hereafter.  For  the 
present,  you  can  do  nothing  but  win  the  affection  of  the 
men,  and  the  captain  also." 

All  this  was  a  great  mystery  to  me,  and  I  could  nohow 
fathom  to  the  bottom  of  it  :  this  only  was  clear,  that  I 


24  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

must  follow  Rodrigues'  bidding,  not  only  because  I  was 
bound  to  do  so  in  a  certain  measure  by  reason  of  my  oath, 
but  also  because  it  was  good  policy.  So  when  I  had  re- 
freshed myself  by  sousing  my  head  in  a  bucket  of  water, 
I  went  above,  and,  holding  on  by  the  bulwarks,  was  much 
amazed  with  the  sight  of  the  heaving  seas,  which  I  had 
never  before  seen  as  now,  all  around  me,  and  the  way  in 
which  the  great  ship  would  dive  down  into  the  hollow  of 
a  wave  as  if  to  perdition,  and  yet  the  next  moment  ride 
upon  the  crest  of  it  as  light  as  any  duck. 

While  I  was  standing  here,  one  of  the  seamen  came  to 
me,  saying  that  the  captain  would  speak  with  me  ;  so  I 
went  with  him  into  the  roundhouse  under  the  poop  deck 
where  Sir  Harry  was,  and  very  cheerful  and  bright  this 
young  man  looked  in  his  sea  dress.  Then,  with  a  noble, 
easy  air,  he  begs  me  to  sit  down,  and,  sitting  himself,  dis- 
coursed about  the  late  storm,  telling  me  how  we  should 
certainly  have  been  all  lost  but  for  the  admirable  skill  and 
exertions  of  the  mate,  Rodrigues  (and  this  every  one  did 
allow),  and  all  with  perfect  self-command  and  natural 
civility,  as  though  we  had  been  the  best  friends  in  the 
world.  But  he  did  not  offer  me  his  hand  to  take,  and  I 
was  glad  of  this,  for  I  could  not  have  taken  it  without 
shame,  feeling  as  I  still  did  towards  him. 

"  However,"  says  he,  "  the  work  is  over,  and,  please  God, 
the  first  part  of  our  voyage  will  soon  be  made ;  then  you 
will  be  free  to  do  as  you  like — either  to  go  back  to  England 
or  to  go  on  with  me.  For  I  have  not  the  power  to  hold  you 
a  prisoner,  nor  have  I  the  wish  to  keep  you  with  me,  except 
as  a  friend.  That  is  for  you  to  decide,  and  I  hope,  with 
all  my  heart,  you  will  decide  to  share  in  this  enterprise, 
and  return  with  me  a  richer  and  a  happier  man  than  ever 
you  could  have  been  had  you  not  sailed  with  us.  And 
that  your  choice  may  be  perfectly  free,  here  is  a  purse  of 
money  that  Sir  Bartlemy  entrusted  me  with  for  your  use. 
It  will  pay  your  voyage  home,  but  if  you  have  need  of  more 
for  your  necessities,  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  place  my 
purse  at  your  disposal." 

I  took  the  bag  of  money  he  offered,  thanking  him  for 
his  civility  as  well  as  my  untutored  tongue  would  allow. 
Then  he  rose,  making  me  a  graceful  bow,  and  bade  the 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  25 

man  who  waited  at  the  door  to  take  me  to  my  cabin,  which 
I  found  very  neat  and  properly  furnished,  with  everything 
necessary  to  my  convenience,  and  two  good  suits  of  new 
clothes,  besides  shirts,  stockings,  etc. 

Rodrigues  was  mightily  pleased  when  he  saw  me  in  my 
new  clothes  and  with  my  hair  decently  combed,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  seamen  eyed  me  with  more  respect 
than  they  had  yet  shown  me ;  indeed,  I  found  that  this 
decency  did  elevate  me  in  my  own  opinion  a  great  deal,  so 
that  I  thought  better  of  myself  and  more  hopefully  than  I 
had  since  the  beginning  of  my  misfortunes. 

The  wind  continued  very  high  (but  prosperous)  for  nine 
days  after  that,  and  then,  making  the  Canaries,  we  came 
into  water  as  smooth  as  the  heart  of  man  could  desire,  and 
so  cast  anchor  at  Fuerteventura.  And  here  we  were  very 
busy  for  three  days,  repairing  the  mischief  done  us  by  the 
storm,  and  all  that  time  we  saw  nothing  of  the  Adventurer, 
our  consort,  which  was  to  have  joined  us  there  in  case  of 
being  separated,  so  that  we  gave  her  up  for  lost,  and  I 
know  not  who  was  more  cast  down  about  this,  Sir  Harry 
Smidmore  or  Rodrigues.  However,  on  the  fourth  day  the 
missing  ship  bore  in  sight  (to  our  great  joy),  and  by  night- 
fall was  anchored  alongside  of  us,  but  with  one  mast  gone, 
and  so  sorely  bruised  that  she  looked  not  the  same  ship  she 
had  been.  And  it  was  curious  to  see  how  the  crew  of  the 
Adventurer,  coming  on  board  the  Sure  Hawk,  the  men  did 
hug  each  other  and  weep  for  gladness.  Amongst  them  all 
the  most  joyful  were  Rodrigues  and  Ned  Parsons,  the  sea- 
man I  have  spoken  of  as  having  only  one  eye,  and  who  was 
master  aboard  the  Adventurer.  But  what  damped  Sir 
Harry's  spirits  greatly  was  this,  that  his  dear  friend,  John 
Murray,  who  was  captain  on  our  consort,  had  been  washed 
overboard  in  the  storm,  and  was  no  more  ;  and  that  the 
men  might  not  see  his  grief,  he  went  into  his  own  cabin 
and  shut  the  door,  and  I  think  there  was  no  sad  heart  on 
board  but  his. 

Presently  Rodrigues  came  to  my  side,  and  says  he  : 

"  Now  is  the  time  to  win  the  hearts  of  these  men.  I  shall 
get  leave  from  the  captain  for  them  to  go  ashore  ;  do  you 
give  them  something  to  make  merry  with." 

I  agreed  to  this  with  all  my  heart,  and  fetching  the  bag 


*6  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

of  gold  from  my  cabin  which  Sir  Bartlemy  had  sent,  I  bade 
him  distribute  every  farthing  amongst  them  ;  and  this  he 
did,  giving  every  man  equal  share,  so  that  each  got  over  a 
pound,  for  there  was  the  value  of  a  hundred  pounds  in  the 
bag,  and  the  two  crews  numbered  four  score,  as  near  as 
may  be. 

When  he  had  thus  made  the  "  dividend,"  as  he  called  it, 
Rodrigues  told  them  that  it  was  I  who  gave  the  money  out 
of  love  for  them,  and  the  hardships  they  had  borne  on  my 
account.  Whereupon  Ned  Parsons  cried  he  would  do  as 
much  again  and  a  hundred  times  more  for  so  generous  a 
gentleman,  and  bade  his  comrades  give  me  a  cheer,  which 
they  did  with  all  their  lungs,  and  three  times.  And  I 
thought  this  Ned  Parsons  was  a  good  friend  to  me,  but  he 
was  not. 


CHAPTER  V. 

TO   MY   MORTAL    PERIL   I    OVERHEAR    A    SORDID    SCHEME    OF 
RODRIGUES    AND    NED   PARSONS. 

SIR  HARRY  gave  leave  that  all  should  go  on  shore  who 
had  a  mind  to,  save  only  such  as  Parsons  and  Rodrigues 
should  need  to  keep  on  board  the  Adventurer  and  the 
Sure  Hawk  for  their  protection  ;  and  Rodrigues  bade  all  be 
gone,  saying  that  he  and  Ned  Parsons  would  watch  the  two 
ships  during  the  night.  So  the  men  went  off  in  the  barge, 
one  batch  after  the  other,  and  last  of  all  Sir  Harry  himself 
went  also  to  refresh  his  spirits  after  the  grief  of  losing  his 
dear  friend  ;  and  Parsons  rowed  him  to  shore.  There  were 
then  left  on  |he  Sure  Hawk  none  save  Rodrigues  and  I. 
And  I  being  heavy  with  sleep  (it  being  by  that  time  nine 
o'clock,  as  I  think)  threw  myself  on  my  cot  within  my 
cabin,  and  fell  off  in  a  doze.  While  I  lay  there  Rodrigues 
came  to  my  cabin  and  saw  me  by  the  light  of  the  lamp,  as  I 
found  out  afterwards.  But  presently  awaking,  I  rose  up 
and  went  out  on  the  deck,  feeling  the  want  of  fresh  air. 
And  indeed  the  night  would  have  tempted  most  men  to  go 
forth,  being  very  fair  and  the  moon  vastly  bright,  as  it  is  in 
those  parts. 

There  was  not  a  soul  on  the  deck,  for  Rodrigues,  seeing 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  27 

me  asleep  and  all  clear,  had  gone  into  the  captain's  store- 
room to  pilfer  a  bottle  of  wine ;  and  so  without  design  I 
sauntered  on  till  coming,  as  chance  would  have  it,  to  the 
main-mast  of  the  ship,  I  came  to  a  stand,  and  leaning  my 
back  against  the  stern  so  that  I  faced  the  moon,  I  fell  on 
meditating  on  my  lot.  Whilst  I  stood  there  I  heard  the 
dip  of  oars  ;  then  the  chink  of  glass  as  Rodrigues  set  down 
his  bottles  right  over  against  where  I  stood,  but  on  the 
other  side  of  the  great  mast,  and  after  that  he  went  to  the 
side  and  called  over,  "  Come  up,  Ned,  I've  that  will  make 
us  merry,  though  we  be  not  ashore." 

"  For  all  that  I  would  rather  be  ashore  with  our  mates," 
replies  Parsons  in  a  grumbling  voice  as  he  comes  up  the 
side. 

"  And  so  we  will,  man,  and  many  a  jolly  night  will  we  spend 
with  our  mates — when  we  have  no  secrets  to  keep,"  replies 
Rodrigues.  "  Here  we  have  it  all  to  ourselves,  and  need 
fear  nothing  if  the  drink  do  give  a  loose  to  our  tongues." 

"  Where's  Pengilly  ?  He  went  not  ashore,"  says  Parsons, 
when  he  had  tumbled  over  the  bulwarks  on  to  the  deck. 

"  Asleep  in  the  coach  where  you  see  the  light  burning, 
and  is  sound  as  a  log.  Sit  you  down  here,  and  we  shall  see 
him  if  he  comes  out,  which  is  not  likely." 

So  they  sat  down  together  on  a  chest  facing  the  round- 
house, and  just  on  the  other  side  of  the  mast  where  Rod- 
rigues had  set  the  bottles,  and  presently  began  to  drink  and 
talk  ;  yet  still  I  kept  where  I  was,  with  my  back  against  the 
mast ;  firstly,  because  the  moon  seemed  to  spread  a  calm 
over  my  mind  which  I  cared  not  to  dispel,  and  after  that 
because  I  became  curious  to  know  what  they  had  to  talk 
about.  ,' 

"  Well,"  says  Parsons,  in  a  more  cheerful  tone,  after  tak- 
ing a  drink,  "  how  goes  it  ?  " 

"  Famously,"  replies  Rodrigues,  clacking  his  tongue 
against  his  teeth  and  pouring  out  more  wine. 

"  Have  you  sounded  the  men  ?  Have  you  opened  out  to 
them  of  our  project  ?  " 

"  Nay  ;  not  yet.  Nor  have  you,  I  hope,  or  they  will 
blab  everything  before  they  get  sober  again.  I  bade  you 
keep  a  still  tongue,  Ned." 

"  And  so  I  have.     There's  been  other  matters  to  think 


*8  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

on.  A  rare  time  it  has  been  with  us  to  keep  the  ship  afloat 
But  I  did  my  part  of  the  business." 

"And  bravely,  I  warrant.  Tell  me  how  you  did  it, 
Ned." 

"  I  caught  him  a  stroke  on  the  head  with  a  crow  as  he 
was  at  prayer,  and  heaved  his  body  out  into  the  sea  by  the 
galley  port."  'Twas  thus  he  had  cruelly  murdered  Captain 
Murray. 

"  No  one  saw  you  !  " 

"  Never  a  soul.  He  was  missed  in  the  morning,  and  all 
think  he  was  washed  over  by  a  sea," 

"  Well,  there's  one  out  of  the  way.  'Twill  be  Smidmore's 
turn  next." 

"  When  ?  "  asks  Parsons. 

"  That's  as  hereafter  may  be.  I'm  for  leaving  everything 
till  we  have  provisioned  at  Trinidado." 

"  And  I'm  for  going  at  it  at  once.  Curse  this  hanging 
fire  when  there's  prize  to  be  taken,  I  say.  Now  Murray  is 
out  of  the  way  you  will  be  made  captain  of  the  Adventurer, 
and  I  reckon  I  will  be  master  in  your  place  on  the  Sure 
Hawk.  We  are  well  armed  and  ammunitioned,  and  shall 
not  lack  provisions.  Then  why  should  we  wait  till  we've 
been  to  Trinidado,  I  want  to  know  ?  " 

"  Because  we  should  have  to  victual  again  before  going 
round  to  the  South  Sea,  and  we  want  no  one  to  get  wind 
of  our  intent  before  we're  ready  to  fly  our  colors.  It 
would  be  folly  to  spoil  the  venture  for  the  sake  of  a  week 
or  two.  Besides,  we  know  not  how  the  men  will  take  it." 

"  How  do  we  stand  for  men  ? "  asks  Parsons,  in  his 
grumbling  tone  again. 

"  Why,  there's  Black,  and  Jarvis,  and  Kelly,  and  all  those 
of  our  old  crew  who  served  with  us  before — they  may  be 
depended  on." 

"  That's  thirteen  men,  and  we  two  make  fifteen,  all 
told." 

"  These  men,  though  they  pretend  to  believe  that  we  are 
going  up  the  Orinoco  after  a  mare's  next,  are  not  such  fools 
as  to  think  that  I  design  to  end  my  days  there." 

"  Ay  !  "  says  Parsons  with  a  laugh,  setting  down  his  cup 
again.  "  Nor  would  they  have  been  fools  enough  to 
engage  on  any  such  silly  venture  unless  they  felt  sure 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  29 

something  better  was  to  come  of  it.  Well,  there's  fifteen — 
go  on." 

"  Of  the  rest  there's  a  score  as  desperate  follows  as  ever 
trod  a  deck,  and  ripe  for  any  mischief." 

"  Would  to  Heaven  we  could  have  raked  up  more  like 
them." 

"  The  rest  are  fools ;  but  sturdy,  good  seamen,  for  all 
that." 

Here  I  was  reminded  of  what  I  had  previously 
remarked — viz.,  that  there  were  two  sorts  of  men  in  our 
crew  and  no  third.  One  set  were  reckless,  dare-devil,  curs- 
ing rascals,  and  the  other  were  as  simple-minded  as  any 
children  ;  but,  as  Rodrigues,  said  every  one  a  hale,  good 
seaman.  And  this  was  due  to  the  cunning  of  Rodrigues, 
who,  by  reason  of  his  knowing  the  parts  to  which  we  were 
bound,  had  been  entrusted  to  choose  a  crew  likely  for  the 
purpose. 

"  Well,"  says  Parsons,  "  here  are  five-and-thirty  men  to 
back  us  at  a  sign,  and  a  match  for  all  the  rest  with  their 
captain  and  your  Pengilly  as  well.  Now,  here's  my  plan, 
Rodrigues,  and  if  you  will  hear  me  you  shall  own  that  it  is 
better  than  all  your  fiddle-faddle  of  waiting  for  this,  that, 
and  t'other." 

"  Well,  out  with  it,  Ned.  You  know  that  I  have  never 
refused  to  listen  to  advice,  nor  to  act  on  it  when  I  saw  it 
was  good  ;  else  had  we  never  won  our  way." 

"  That's  true,  and  I  own  but  for  your  cursed  cool  judgment 
we  should  all  have  been  strung  up  like  so  many  weasels." 

Over  this  interchange  of  civilities  they  drank  another 
cup  and  shook  hands.  Then  Parsons  started  off  in  high 
good-humor  : 

"  Here's  how  I  see  it.  Sir  Harry  will  make  you  captain 
of  the  Adventurer;  for  why  ?  There's  no  man  so  fit ;  and 
he'll  very  like  make  me  master  of  this  ship  under  him,  as 
being  best  able  to  navigate  her  and  the  like.  The  men 
will  be  fairly  divided  between  the  two  ships  as  heretofore. 
Now,  as  soon  as  we  set  sail  I  shall  make  it  so  cursedly 
uncomfortable  for  the  foolish  fellows  of  my  crew  that  they 
shall  pray  to  be  exchanged  into  your  ship.  To  this  I  shall 
persuade  Sir  Harry,  taking  in  their  place  all  those  men  dis- 
posed to  our  design." 


30  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  So  we  get  all  the  simpletons  under  me,  and  all  the 
desperadoes  under  you,"  says  Rodrigues. 

"That's  it.  And  matters  being  so,  I  will  open  out  our 
scheme  to  my  crew,  who  will  jump  at  it  like  sharks.  Then 
the  first  calm  night  will  we  order  things  so  that  my  men  shall 
board  your  ship  after  binding  Sir  Harry,  and  make  prisoner 
every  mother's  son  :  which  done,  you  shall  ask  the  company 
plump  out  whether  they  choose  to  join  in  our  venture  and 
make  their  fortunes,  or  whether  they  stick  to  their  articles, 
and  will  go  a  searching  for  gold  where  there's  naught 
but  serpents  and  fevers.  Who  will  refuse  to  join  us 
then,  eh?" 

"  Sir  Harry,  for  a  surety." 

"  Then  overboard  he  goes,  and  away  we  sail  south  with 
joyous  hearts,  and  no  more  dallying." 

Rodrigues  took  the  time  of  drinking  another  cup  to  con- 
sider. But  little  as  I  knew  of  this  strange  matter,  I  felt 
sure  he  would  not  agree  to  this  proposal  (being  a  very 
subtle,  painful  man),  for  if  he  thus  parted  with  all  the  men 
proper  to  his  desperate  enterprise,  what  was  to  prevent 
Parsons  deserting  him  and  going  whithersoever  he  pleased 
with  his  desperadoes  ? 

"  Yes,"  says  Rodrigues,  "  your  scheme  might  succeed, 
but  it  will  be  better  to  turn  the  tables  about  so  that  you 
send  all  the  dependable  men  to  me,  and  I  send  the  others 
to  you." 

Parsons  made  no  reply  to  this,  whereby  he  revealed  the 
secret  treachery  that  was  in  his  mind.  But  Rodrigues  tak- 
ing no  notice  of  this,  though  he  must  have  perceived  it, 
continues  cheerfully,  "  No,  Ned  ;-  on  second  thoughts  that 
plan  will  not  do.  For  taking  the  men  unprepared  in  this 
way,  a  score  of  them  may  hold  on  to  the  hope  of  getting 
treasure  in  Guiana,  and  so  rally  round  the  captain.  Then 
we  may  have  to  throw  them  overboard  as  well  as  the  cap- 
tain, which  will  be  a  great  loss  to  us.  For  we  can  make  no 
great  success  with  small  means,  and  it  will  never  do  to  start 
short-handed.  Besides  this,"  says  he,  "  the  men  pressed 
into  our  service  by  the  fear  of  death  will  never  serve  us  as 
willing  hands  would." 

"  Why,  that  is  true,"  says  Parsons,  who  clearly  did  not 
relish  the  idea  of  his  own  scheme  being  acted  upon  contra- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  31 

riwise.  "  You  always  had  a  better  head  for  these  matters 
than  any  of  us.  So  let  us  hear  how  you  would  act." 

"  In  this  wise,"  said  Rodrigues.  "  As  soon  as  we  set  sail 
from  here — you  on  the  one  ship  and  I  on  t'other — we  will 
secretly  show  the  dullards  the  folly  of  seeking  wealth  in 
Guiana,  when  they  can  enrich  themselves  tenfold  without 
leaving  the  ship,  or  encountering  any  of  the  hazards  and 
hardships  of  going  a-foot  through  those  fearful  wilds.  And 
first  will  I  win  over  Pengilly,  who  is  ripe  for  this  enterprise. 
When  I  am  sure  of  him,  Sir  Harry  will  be  got  rid  of,  and 
then  will  Pengilly  take  his  place  as  commander,  being 
nephew  to  Sir  Bartlemy,  whose  ships  these  are.  So  without 
the  loss  of  one  man  we  shall  have  gained  our  way,  and  all 
willingly  will  obey  his  directions." 

"  So  far  so  good,"  says  Parsons  ;  "  but  how  is  this  to  ad- 
vance us  ?  Are  we  to  take  for  our  share  no  more  than  what 
he  chooses  to  give  us  as  his  officers  ?  " 

To  this  question  Rodrigues  made  no  reply.  And  this  si- 
lence perplexing  me,  I  cast  my  eyes  sidelong  to  see  if  they 
had  moved  away.  And  then  I  perceived  what  it  was  had 
stopped  his  tongue. 

The  moon  had  shifted  during  their  conversation  (of  which 
a  great  deal  for  the  sake  of  brevity  I  have  not  set  down), 
and  whereas  at  the  beginning  it  had  shone  full  on  my  face, 
it  now  struck  me  somewhat  on  my  left  side.  So  that  there 
down  on  the  deck  I  spied  my  shadow  revealed  beside  the 
great  mast,  and  Rodrigues  had  spied  it  also.  For  before  I 
could  turn  my  head,  I  felt  his  long  bony  fingers  upon  my 
throat,  and  then  the  flash  of  his  dagger  in  the  moonlight 
caught  my  eye. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

I    AM     NEARLY     UNDONE     BY     MY   SHADOW. — NED     PARSONS 

AND    RODRIGUES,    THEIR    ARGUMENT,    WITH    THE 

COMPACT    THAT    FOLLOWED. 

NOW,  I  had  not  stirred  a  hair's  breadth  the  whole  time 
this  Rodrigues  and  Ned  Parsons  were  discussing  their 
affairs  ;  and  thus  I  was  standing,  with  my  back  against 
the  great  mast  and  my  feet  a  couple  of  spans  away  from  »t, 


32  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

when  Rodrigues  takes  me  by  the  throat,  flashing  his  steel 
before  my  eyes,  as  I  have  said,  and,  at  the  same  time,  Par- 
sons, slipping  his  foot  betwixt  my  legs  and  the  mast,  fetches 
me  a  trip  which  brings  me  plump  down  on  my  back.  Then, 
in  a  twinkling  he  throws  himself  upon  me,  and  had  cer- 
tainly done  my  business  with  his  jack-knife  (both  having 
lugged  out  upon  catching  sight  of  my  shadow),  but  that 
Rodrigues,  catching  his  arm  back,  cries — 

"  Hold,  Ned  !  Don't  you  see  that  this  is  none  but  our 
friend  Benet  Pengilly  ?" 

"  I  see  well  enough  who  it  is,"  answers  Parsons  ;  "  but  he 
is  a  spy  for  all  that,  and  shall  pay  for  stealing  on  us.  Let 
go  my  arm,  Rodrigues  !  " 

But  this  Rodrigues  would  not,  being  just  as  quick  to  fore- 
see results  as  Parsons  was  to  lose  sight  of  them. 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,  Ned  !  "  said  he.  "  How  could  he  have 
stolen  on  us,  and  we  sitting  with  our  eyes  on  the  cabin  ? 
He  was  here  from  the  first,  and  I  do  not  blame  him  for 
picking  up  what  we  were  careless  to  let  fall.  And  what 
harm  in  that  ?  He  has  but  learnt  what  we  intended  to  tell 
him.  Would  you  ruin  everything  by  spilling  his  blood, 
when  his  loss  would  draw  suspicion  on  our  heads,  and  set 
all  our  mates  against  us  with  mistrust  ?  Had  it  been 
another  he  should  have  died,  and  I  would  not  have  left  the 
business  to  you  neither  ;  but  the  moment  I  got  my  hand  on 
his  throat  I  saw  it  was  our  friend." 

"  That  may  be,"  says  Parsons  ;  "  but,  curse  me  !  he  shall 
give  me  some  better  assurance  that  he  intends  to  stands  by 
us  in  this  matter  ere  I  let  him  rise." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  you  shall  get  nothing  from  me  by 
force  ";  and,  getting  my  hands  under  him,  I  flung  him  off 
like  an  old  cloak,  and  sprang  to  my  feet.  "  Now,"  says  I, 
"  what  is  it  you  want  of  me  ?" 

All  this  passed  as  quick  as  the  words  will  run,  so  that 
the  whole  business  was  not  more  than  a  minute  or  so  in 
the  doing. 

"  Well  done,  Pengilly  !  "  cries  Rodrigues.  "  I  like  you 
the  better  for  this  taste  of  your  manhood.  I  never  mis- 
trusted a  brave  man  yet,  and  here's  a  proof  of  it  now," 
and  with  that  he  sticks  his  dagger  in  the  decK,  and  seats 
himself  on  the  chest,  with  empty  hands,  bidding  Parsons, 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  33 

as  he  was  a  true  man  and  not  a  born  fool,  to  do  the  like, 
which  he  presently  did,  sticking  his  jack-knife  in  the  deck, 
and  sitting  alongside  of  Rodrigues  ;  and  to  show  I  feared 
neither,  I  seated  myself  betwixt  them. 

"  Now,  Ben,"  said  Rodrigues,  clapping  me  on  the  knee 
cheerfully  ;  "  what's  it  to  be  ?  You  have  heard  our  design. 
Do  you  stay  in  the  Canaries,  or  go  with  us  to  the  South 
Sea?" 

"  What  to  do  ? "  I  asks,  for  this  question  did  still  perplex 
me. 

"  What  to  do  ?    Why,  to  get  gold,  to  be  sure." 

"  I  thought  you  had  decided  not  to  set  foot  ashore," 
said  I. 

"  And  so  we  have  ;  for  what  Englishman  has  ever  got 
gold  that  went  out  of  his  ship  to  get  it  ?  The  fools  have 
thrown  more  gold  into  Guiana  than  ever  they  have  taken 
out  of  it,  a  hundredfold." 

"  Ay  !  And  gold  is  not  the  only  thing  they  have  thrown 
away,"  says  Parsons,  "  but  many  a  good  and  honest  English- 
man's  life  as  well." 

"  For  every  man  that  has  come  home,"  says  Rodrigues, 
"  a  hundred  have  been  left  behind — slain  by  Indians,  stung 
by  serpents,  dead  of  fevers,  or  slaves  to  the  Spaniard." 

"  And  them  as  do  come  home  are  none  the  better  for 
having  gone  thither,"  chimes  in  t'other  rascal,  "  as  we  do 
testify  ;  for  here  am  I  short  of  one  eye,  and  Rodrigues  a 
sight  to  see." 

"  That  there  is  gold  in  Guiana  no  one  can  doubt,"  says 
Rodrigues ;  "  but  the  only  men  who  can  get  it  are  the 
Indians,  and  their  only  masters  are  the  Spaniards  and 
Portugals." 

"  Then  where  did  you  get  the  treasure  you  brought  to 
England  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Why,  from  the  Spaniard,  to  be  sure,  and  as  fairly  as  he 
got  it  from  the  Indian." 

"  Ay  !  and  fairer,"  says  Parsons  ;  "  for  we  got  it  by 
straightforward  and  honest  fighting." 

"  And  if  we  were  more  lively  in  our  attack,"  puts  in 
Rodrigues,  "  'twas  because  their  galleons  were  unwieldy 
with  their  weight  of  gold." 

"  I  count  we  do  'em  a  service  to  ease  them  of  their  load," 


34  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

says  Parsons,  "  for  they  have  more  than  they  can  carry  with 
comfort  "  (this  with  a  laugh  at  his  own  joke). 

"  Ay  !  but  our  love  doesn't  end  there  ;  for,  look  you,  Ben, 
which  is  the  better — to  let  your  uncle's  ships  and  treasure 
be  cast  away  in  the  Orinoco,  to  lead  fourscore  men  to 
misery  and  death  in  those  fearful  winds,  or  to  carry  them 
back  home,  every  man  rich  for  life  ?  To  suffer  the  Spaniard 
to  carry  that  gold  into  Spain  for  the  encouragement  of 
Papistry  and  devilish  cruelty,  and  the  furnishing  out  another 
Armada,  or  to  take  it  away  from  them  for  the  benefit  of 
our  country  and  the  honor  and  glory  of  our  king  ?" 

And  in  this  manner  they  carried  on  the  argument  a  long 
while,  one  playing  the  part  of  marrowbone  to  the  other's 
cleaver,  while  I  sat  in  silence  and  lost  in  wonder,  like  one 
who  should  of  a  sudden  see  a  strange  new  sun  rise  up  in 
the  sky.  At  length  I  found  the  sense  to  speak,  and,  say  I — 

"  But  how  can  we  attack  the  Spaniard  when  we  are  at 
peace  with  Spain  ?  " 

"Why,"  says  Rodrigues,  "  peac.e  there  maybe  in  these 
waters,  for  that  matter  ;  but  there  is  no  peace  below  the 
line,  as  every  one  does  know." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  'tis  nothing  but  piracy  you  offer." 

"You  may  call  it  what  you  like,"  says  he,  *'  but  I  think  it 
no  shame  for  any  man  to  walk  in  the  shoes  of  Drake  and 
Candish." 

"  Tis  a  hanging  matter,  for  all  that,"  says  I,  still  ob- 
jecting. 

"  A  hanging  matter  for  those  who  fail  to  take  home  gold, 
but  a  knighting  matter  for  those  who  do,  as  witness  Sir 
Francis  and  others  less  nice  than  he.  But  'tis  the  same  all 
the  world  over,  whether  a  man  undertake  to  find  gold  or  to 
cure  bunions.  Raleigh  gets  his  head  cut  off  for  failing,  and 
Master  Winter  is  made  a  peer.  And  quite  right  it  be  so, 
for  it  puts  a  check  on  men  from  hazarding  foolishly,  and 
encourages  them  to  push  their  fortunes  with  zeal,  when  the 
chance  is  on  their  side." 

"  And  this  is  the  long  and  short  of  it,"  says  Parsons, 
bluntly,  for  argument  was  not  to  his  taste.  "  Are  you  with 
us,  or  are  you  not  ?  " 

"  I  am  with  you,"  says  I,  and  upon  that  we  joined  hands 
—all  three. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  35 

And  in  thus  readily  falling  in  with  this  villainous  pro- 
posal I  was  moved,  not  so  much  by  Rodrigues,  or  his  subtle 
arguments,  as  by  my  own  fierce  and  lawless  spirit,  and  a 
certain  brutal  craving  and  lust  of  blood  and  treasure,  which 
Lord  forgive  us,  urges  too  many  of  us  to  cruel  pursuits,  no 
whit  more  justifiable  in  the  eye  of  God  than  piracy. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    PERPLEXITY     OF     BEING     NEITHER     THOROUGH-FACED 
ROGUE,    ARRANT    FOOL,   NOR   HONEST   MAN. 

WE  stayed  at  Fuerteventura  nine  days,  and  then  made 
sail,  being  again  in  good  condition  and  nothing  lack- 
ing, and  shaped  our  course  for  the  West  Indies.     And 
as  Parsons  had  foreseen,  Rodrigues  was  appointed  captain 
of  the  Adventurer,  while  Parsons  took  the  place  of  master 
on  board  the  Sure  Hawk.     This  pleased  the  Adventurer's 
company  vastly,  for  all  looked  upon   Rodrigues  with  open 
admiration,  backed  up  by  secret  hope  ;  and,  indeed,  there 
was  no  man  more  proper  for  this  post. 

No  sooner  had  we  quitted  our  anchorage  than  we  began, 
Parsons  and  I,  to  work  upon  the  minds  of  those  foolish 
fellows  who  had  to  be  prepared  for  that  change  we  intended 
to  bring  about.  So  now  Parsons,  instead  of  painting  the 
glories  and  delights  of  Guiana,  as  he  had  done  with  a  very 
free  hand,  when  inducing  them  to  leave  their  fishing  vil- 
lages and  join  our  ships,  did  treat  all  such  glories  with  de- 
rision, telling  them  they  were  like  all  to  get  a  good  deal 
more  than  they  expected,  and  thrusting  his  tongue  in  his 
cheek  with  a  wink  of  his  one  eye  at  me  for  all  to  see. 
Whereupon  these  fellows  did  begin  to  scratch  their  heads 
and  think  they  had  been  hoodwinked,  and  led  into  a  busi- 
ness which  had  been  better  left  alone.  And  from  that  he 
went  on  to  tell  of  all  the  horrible  beasts  and  worms  there 
existed  in  the  marshes  of  those  parts ;  the  poisonous  fruits 
in  the  forests,  all  so  like  the  wholesome  that  one  never  knew 
whether  his  meal  was  to  give  him  strength  or  burst  him 
open  by  its  venomous  swelling ;  of  the  cannibals,  whose 
shoulders  grew  higher  than  their  heads,  and  whose  arms 


36  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

were  two  fathoms  long  ;  and  such-like  wild  stories.  If  any 
one  doubted  the  truth  of  what  he  said,  he  would  appeal  to 
one  of  those  men  who  had  previously  voyaged  with  Rod- 
rigues,  and  these,  seeing  which  way  the  cat  jumped,  con- 
firmed him  in  every  lie,  no  matter  how  outrageous.  Then 
he  came  gradually  to  talk  of  Hawkins  and  Morgan,  and 
fellows  of  that  kidney,  exalting  them  to  the  skies — in  fine, 
we  carried  this  business  so  well  that  by  the  time  we  arrived 
at  Trinidado  there  was  not  one  man  aboard  the  Sure  Hawk 
but  that  heartily  wished  to  rove  the  South  Sea  for  gold 
rather  than  to  seek  it  in  Guiana ;  yet,  for  all  that,  a  good 
half  of  the  crew  were  stanch  and  faithful  to  our  captain, 
and  prepared  to  die  with  him  in  the  wilds  ;  nor  would  they 
listen  to  anything  in  his  disfavor,  or  any  project  of  de- 
sertion. And  the  reason  of  this  was  that  Sir  Harry  Smid- 
more,  being  of  a  lively  and  sanguine  temperament,  and 
having  unbounded  faith  in  the  success  of  his  enterprise, 
had  ever  a  cheerful  and  kind  word  for  his  men,  and 
neglected  not  to  comfort  the  company  in  every  possible 
way,  so  that  he  won  all  the  hearts  to  him  that  had  any  de- 
cent feeling.  Indeed,  as  the  fresh  sea  air  purged  away  my 
splenetic  humor,  and  the  society  of  sturdy  men  inspired 
me  with  a  wholesome  shame  of  those  contemptible  humors 
which  were  bred  by  solitude,  1  no  longer  harbored  an  envi- 
ous jealousy  toward  Sir  Harry,  perceiving  plainly  how  far 
above  mine  were  his  claims  to  the  love  of  Lady  Biddy 
Fane.  Feeling  thus  with  regard  to  him,  I  could  neither 
wish  to  do  him  a  mischief  myself,  nor  to  see  him  come  to 
harm  by  other  hands.  Yet  every  day  it  became  more  obvi- 
ous that  a  cruel  end  awaited  him.  There  was  no  chance 
of  his  forsaking  the  expedition  into  Guiana  to  become  a 
pirate  on  the  high  seas,  and  it  was  therefore  clear  that  he 
must  be  privately  got  rid  of  to  avoid  a  mutiny  amongst 
these  thirty  or  forty  good  men  who  were  stanch  to  him. 

I  own  I  was  greatly  perplexed  over  this  matter,  and  more 
than  once  I  was  on  the  point  of  revealing  the  conspiracy  to 
him ;  for  I  felt  that,  if  he  were  murdered,  I  should,  in  a 
manner,  have  his  blood  upon  my  conscience  ;  but  as  many 
times  was  I  deterred  from  this  confession  by  recalling  my 
oath  to  Rodrigues,  and  by  a  certain  sense  of  honor  which 
may  exist  even  amongst  such  rogues  as  we  were.  And  so  I 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  37 

was  terribly  put  to  it  all  the  time  we  lay  at  Punto  de  Gallo, 
revictualing  and  making  the  final  preparations  for  going 
up  the  Orinoco. 

We  lay  off  Punto  de  Gallo  three  days,  and  the  men  of 
both  ships  mingling,  Ned  Parsons  and  Rodrigues  found 
occasion  to  lay  their  heads  together  pretty  frequently ;  and 
this  boded  me  no  good,  for  Parsons  had  ever  kept  a  jeal- 
ous and  suspicious  watch  upon  my  movements,  and  must 
have  perceived  my  growing  love  for  our  captain.  On  the 
evening  of  the  third  day,  we  three  being  ashore  together, 
and  come  to  a  spot  free  from  observation,  Rodrigues 
says  : 

"  If  this  breeze  holds,  we  are  likely  to  sail  to-morrow  ; 
and  as  we  may  not  get  another  chance  of  conversing  privily, 
let  us  settle  what's  to  be  done,  and  how  we  are  to  do  it 
when  we  are  aboard." 

"Ay,  we've  had  enough  shill-I-shall-I,"  says  Parsons,  in 
his  surly  tone.  "*•».. 

"  We  should  have  been  further  off  from  success  if  we  had 
gone  a  shorter  way  to  work,  Ned,"  said  Rodrigues,  "as 
you  know  well  enough,  though  you  won't  own  to  it.  If  we 
had  followed  your  advice  and  thrown  the  captain  over- 
board when  we  left  the  Canaries,  half  the  men  would  have 
been  against  us,  and  looked  upon  the  first  storm  that  came 
as  a  judgment  upon  us.  It's  no  good  setting  men  to  a 
task  before  they're  prepared  for  it.  Now  there's  not  a  man 
aboard  the  Adventurer  who  is  not  thirsting  to  get  at  the 
Spaniard." 

"You've  had  them  all  to  yourself;  but  it's  another 
matter  aboard  the  Sure  Hawk"  says  Parsons  ;  there's  a 
score  of  half-hearted  fellows  amongst  us  that  were  better  at 
home." 

"  That's  as  you  think,  Ned.     What  say  you,  Pengilly  ?  " 

"  The  men's  hearts  are  as  stout  as  ours,"  says  I  ;  "  and 
as  ready  to  meet  the  Spaniard  as  any  of  your  crew.  I'll 
answer  for  them." 

"  Perhaps  you'll  answering  for  their  flinging  the  captain 
overboard  when  the  time  comes  ? "  says  Parsons,  with  a 
sneer. 

"I'll  answer  for  you,  Parsons,  if  there's  a  cowardly 
murder  to  be  done ;  but  for  no  one  on  board  the  Sure 


38  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE- 

Hawk"  says  I.  "  I  warn  you,  Rodrigues,  that  if  you  at- 
tempt the  life  of  Sir  Harry,  you'll  have  a  score  of  us  to 
settle  with,  him  and  Benet  Pengilly  among  the  number." 

"  There,  didn't  I  tell  you  as  much  ? "  says  Parsons, 
nudging  Rodrigues. 

Rodrigues  frowned  on  him  to  be  still,  and  turning  to  me, 
says,  calmly — 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that,  Pengilly  ?  " 

"  I  mean  this  :  our  captain  shall  not  be  murdered," 
says  I. 

"  And  how  can  you  prevent  it,  pray  ?  "  asks  Parsons. 

"  There'll  be  plenty  of  time  to  warn  him  before  you  can 
silence  me,  Parsons." 

"  Didn't  he  swear  secrecy  by  the  cross,  Rodrigues  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  says  I  ;  "  but  I'll  break  my  oath  rather 
than  have  murder  on  my  conscience  !  " 

"  Conscience  !  How  long  have  you  been  troubled  with 
that  commodity  ?  "  asks  he. 

"  Fool  !  you  be  still,"  cries  Rodrigues,  stamping  his  foot. 
"  Haven't  you  sense  enough  to  see  that  Pengilly's  warning 
saves  us  from  the  very  thing  that  I  have  dreaded  all 
through  ?  I  know  the  mischief  of  having  discontented  men 
in  a  crew." 

"  Settle  it  how  you  will,"  says  Parsons  with  an  oath,  get- 
ting up  and  turning  his  back  on  us.  "  Curse  this  dodging 
backwards  and  forwards,  say  I  !  " 

"  If  the  captain  were  out  of  the  way,  and  you  took  his 
place,  as  lawful  representative  of  your  uncle,  the  men  would 
do  your  bidding,  wouldn't  they,  Benet  ?  "  said  Rodrigues  in 
a  friendly  tone. 

"  No  doubt,"  says  I  ;  "  but  I  will  not  have  any  hand  in 
this  business  if  violence  is  to  be  done  to  Sir  Harry." 

"  Then  what  do  you  propose  we  should  do  ?  "  asks  he. 

"  He  lies  ashore  to-night :  why  shouldn't  we  sail  without 
him  ?  " 

"  That's  better  than  ever  !  "  cries  Parsons,  turning  round. 
"  Leave  him  here  to  send  a  king's  ship  after  us.  A 
plaguey  good  notion,  that,"  and  he  burst  out  into  a  horse- 
laugh. 

"  That  won't  do,  Ben,"  says  Rodrigues  ;  "  as  Ned  says, 
we  should  have  a  man-of-war  sent  after  us,  and  so  have  to 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  39 

fight  English  as  well  as  Spaniards.  I  think  I  can  offer 
something  better  than  that  ";  and  drawing  me  aside  that 
Parsons  might  not  hear,  he  dropped  his  voice  and  said  : 
"  Supposing,  when  we  are  out  at  sea,  we  tell  the  captain  our 
determination  to  go  roving,  and  ask  him  to  join  us  ?  " 

"  He  will  refuse  :  that's  certain." 

"  Very  well ;  then  let  us  give  him  one  of  the  ships  and 
let  him  go  with  as  many  of  the  men  as  choose  to  join  him. 
What  say  you  to  that  ?  " 

I  agreed  to  this  readily  ;  for  it  seemed  a  better  way  out 
of  the  mess  than  any  I  had  imagined. 

"  Good,"  says  he  ;  "  so  shall  it  be.  Now,  leave  me  alone 
with  Parsons.  He  is  a  self-willed,  headstrong  fellow  ;  but 
I  know  how  to  manage  him,  and  I  promise  you  I  will  make 
him  hear  reason." 

So  I  left  them,  never  dreaming  but  that  Rodrigues,  for 
his  own  interest,  was  dealing  fairly  in  this  business,  and 
speaking  his  mind  honestly. 

That  night  our  captain  brought  aboard  an  Indian  Cazique 
named  Putijma  for  our  pilot.  This  man  told  us  that  the 
true  mouth  of  the  Oronoque  and  the  best  for  us  to  enter 
was  in  the  Boca  de  Nairos,  and  about  thirty  leagues  south 
of  Punto  de  Gallo  ;  and  thither  it  was  agreed,  the  breeze 
remaining  prosperous,  we  should  sail  the  next  day. 

When  this  news  was  imparted  to  our  company  there  was 
a  great  cheer,  and  every  man  set  to  with  a  will  getting  the 
ship  ready  that  she  might  sail  at  daybreak  ;  and  the  sky 
being  very  fair  and  clear  they  worked  all  night  to  this  end, 
and  there  was  such  bustle  of  men  coming  on  board,  shout- 
ing of  orders,  and  getting  things  in  their  places,  that  no 
sleep  was  to  be  got. 

A  little  before  daybreak  I  turned  out  of  my  cot,  and, 
going  on  deck,  found  that  some  were  already  aloft  shaking 
out  the  sails,  while  others  were  heaving  up  the  anchor, 
and  all  singing  of  sea  songs,  and  as  merry  as  any  grigs. 
Ere  yet  the  sun  had  risen  our  sails  filled  ;  we  left  our 
anchorage,  and,  looking  out,  I  spied  the  Adventurer,  her 
sails  spread,  following  pretty  close  in  our  wake.  Then, 
the  light  growing  amain,  I  perceived  one  strange  face 
amongst  our  company,  and  then  another,  and  after  that  a 
third  and  fourth,  and  so  on,  till  I  numbered  a  full  dozen  ; 


4°  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

yet  these  men  were  not  so  strange  to  me  but  that  I  recog- 
nized them  as  being  part  of  the  crew  of  the  Adventurer. 
Upon  this,  suspecting  mischief,  I  cast  my  eye  about  for 
those  men  whom  I  have  spoken  of  as  being  stanch  and 
loyal  to  our  captain,  and  not  one  of  these  could  I  find.  In 
this  I  saw  clearly  the  villainy  of  that  subtle  Rodrigues, 
who,  by  thus  shifting  the  crew,  ensured  his  plan  against 
opposition,  for  not  one  man  now  on  board  the  Sure  Hawk 
could  be  counted  on  to  side  with  the  captain  in  going  to 
Guiana,  whereas  all  would  readily  agree  to  ridding  them- 
selves of  him  in  order  that  they  might  follow  their  own 
lawless  bent  uninterrupted  ;  meanwhile,  by  his  own  per- 
suasion and  the  influence  of  the  rascally  crew  on  the  Ad- 
venturer, those  simple  fellows  from  the  Sure  Hawk  who 
still  held  to  an  honest  course  could  be  easily  won  over  to 
his  purpose.  To  make  sure  that  the  change  on  board  was 
not  due  to  accident,  I  sought  out  Ned  Parsons  ;  but  the 
rascal,  seeing  me  coming,  feigned  to  be  mightily  busy,  so 
that  I  could  not  get  a  word  out  of  him  in  any  way,  which 
served  to  convince  me  of  his  treachery.  Getting  no  satis- 
faction from  him,  I  went  into  my  cabin,  and  there,  sitting 
on  my  cot,  I  turned  the  matter  over  in  my  mind,  and,  after 
looking  at  it  this  way  and  that,  I  resolved  I  would  go  and 
warn  Sir  Harry  of  his  danger  ;  for,  as  I  told  Rodrigues,  I 
was  prepared  to  break  any  number  of  oaths  rather  than  be 
a  party  to  a  foul  murder.  And,  lest  I  should  be  credited 
with  more  generosity  in  coming  to  this  decision  than  I  de- 
serve, I  will  here  confess  that  I  was  not  unmindful  of  my 
own  peril.  For,  if  it  served  the  purpose  of  these  desper- 
adoes to  throw  our  captain  overboard,  why  should  they 
spare  me  ?  I  laid  no  faith  whatever  in  the  promises  of 
Rodrigues;  nay,  I  was  inclined  to  believe  Ned  Parsons  the 
honester  rogue  of  the  two.  I  knew  that  all  he  considered 
was  how  to  advance  his  own  fortune.  Had  the  crew  been 
more  difficult  to  seduce  and  less  disposed  to  become 
pirates,  then  it  would  have  served  his  turn  to  carry  out  his 
original  project,  and  give  the  enterprise  a  fair  face  by 
appointing  me,  as  nephew  of  Sir  Bartlemy  Pengilly,  their 
generalissimo  ;  but  now  that  it  was  clear  the  whole  body  of 
men  needed  no  such  countenance  to  their  project,  it  would 
be  expedient  to  get  rid  of  me  as  well  as  Sir  Harry.  So  to 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  4» 

the  captain,  who  still  lay  in  the  cabin,  I  went,  and  asked 
him  if  he  knew  of  the  change  that  had  been  made. 

"  Ay,  Pengilly,"  says  he  cheerfully  ;  "  I  ordered  it  so. 
Parsons  tells  me  there  is  a  lawless  spirit  spreading  amongst 
the  men  on  the  Adventurer,  and  he  picked  out  certain  of 
them  as  being  the  worst.  These  Rodrigues  begged  me  to 
take  with  us  in  the  Sure  Hawk  in  exchange  for  those  he 
thought  might  bring  the  rest  to  a  healthier  way  of  thinking 
on  the  Adventurer.1' 

"  That  villain,  Rodrigues  !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  I  saw  his 
devilish  hand  in  this.  We  are  lost !  " 

"  Lost  ?  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  "  asks  Sir  Harry, 
bating  his  breath. 

"  I  mean  that  you  have  parted  with  the  only  honest  men 
in  the  crew,  and  have  none  but  ruffians  left  about  you." 

"  Nay,  you  wrong  them.  Desperate  they  are,  for  who 
but  desperate  men  would  dare  a  desperate  enterprise  ?  But 
they  are  honest — I'll  answer  for  'em.  They  have  sworn  to 
follow  me,  and  they  will." 

"  You  will  be  lucky  to  get  away  without  such  followers," 
says  I  ;  "  but,  in  truth,  I  doubt  if  we  do  ever  set  foot  again 
on  dry  land." 

Sir  Harry  could  not  speak  awhile  for  astonishment.  At 
length  he  says,  speaking  low  : 

"  Are  you  sure  of  this  you  tell  me,  Pengilly  ?  Are  you 
honest  with  me  ?  " 

"I'll  say  nothing  for  my  honesty,"  says  I;  "but  I'll 
swear  to  the  truth  to  what  I  tell  you.  There's  not  a  man 
but  is  already  a  pirate  at  heart ;  and  they  only  want  a  signal 
from  Rodrigues  to  kill  us  and  hoist  the  bloody  flag." 

Sir  Harry  started  up,  and  took  a  pace  or  two  across 
the  cabin  ;  then,  coming  to  a  stand,  he  turns  and  says  : 

"  No,  Pengilly  ;  I  can't  believe  this.  Tell  me  you  have 
tried  to  fool  me,  and  I'll  forgive  you." 

"  Nay,  but  you  must  believe,"  says  I,  "  or  you  can  not 
escape  else  ";  and  then  I  laid  bare  all  that  I  knew,  with  my 
own  share  in  the  villainous  scheme,  not  sparing'myself  the 
shame  of  this  confession.  He  listened  to  me  patiently,  but 
when  I  came  to  an  end  he  says,  with  passion  : 

"  God  forgive  you  ^engilly  !  for  my  ruin  is  or  your 
head." 


42  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

But  presently  growing  calmer,  for  I  made  no  attempt  to 
defend  myself  from  this  charge,  he  adds  : 

"  Take  no  heed  of  what  I  said,  Benet.  You  have  done 
no  more  nor  less  than  I,  or  a  better  man  than  I,  could  have 
done  in  your  place.  You  risk  your  life  in  trying  to  save 
mine,  whereas  you  might  have  made  your  fortune  (though 
I  doubt  if  you  could  ever  have  enjoyed  it)  by  betraying  me." 

"  He  held  out  his  hand,  and  I  took  it.  Then  in  a  more 
cheerfull  and  vigorous  tone,  he  says  : 

"  Come,  we  are  both  in  the  same  pickle  ;  let  us  see  how, 
perchance,  we  may  get  out  of  it." 

Then  we  set  our  wits  to  work  that  we  might  discover  how 
we  two  were  to  overcome  the  craft  and  force  of  all  those 
hardy  villains  that  was  against  us.  I  was  for  knocking 
Parsons  on  the  head,  taking  the  navigation  in  our  own 
hands,  running  the  ship  ashore,  or  on  the  first  shoal  we 
came  to  ;  and  I  think  Sir  Harry  would  have  acted  on  this 
design,  but  that  it  pleased  Providence  to  give  us  no  chance 
that  way. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WE  ARE  OVERCOME,  AND  WITH  BARBAROUS  TREATMENT  SET 
ASHORE  AND  LEFT  THERE, 

OF  a  truth  none  are  so  suspicious  as  those  who  should  be 
suspected,  and  losing  sight  of  this  fact  was  our  un- 
doing. 

To  begin  with  'twas  a  silly  thing  to  go  into  the  captain's 
cabin  at  that  time ;  it  was  still  more  imprudent  to  sit 
there  with  him  discussing  our  means  of  escape.  For  it  hap- 
pened that  Ned  Parsons,  seeing  me  no  longer  inquisitive 
about  the  shifting  of  the  crews,  became  curious  to  know 
what  had  become  of  me,  and  presently  sighted  me  sitting, 
as  I  say,  with  Sir  Harry.  Doubtless  Rodrigues,  in  his  place, 
would  have  taken  some  crafty  means  of  discovering  our  de- 
sign and  circumventing  it ;  but  this  Parsons  was  of  an- 
other kidney,  and  prone  to  reflect  upon  the  advisability  of 
his  actions  after  they  were  performed  rather  than  before. 
Wherefore,  at  the  first  sniff  of  danger,  he  goes  below,  col- 
Jects  a  dozen  choice  rogues,  and  having  gone  into  the 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIKDY  FANE.  43 

armory  and  furnished  themselves  with  weapons,  they 
slipped  on  deck,  and  in  a  twinkling  rushed  into  the  round- 
house and  fell  upon  us.  We  were  the  less  prepared  for  this 
attack  because  the  fellows,  having  no  shoes  to  their  feet, 
came  on  noiselessly  along  the  deck  ;  and  indeed,  from  the 
moment  we  first  spied  them  to  the  time  they  we  in  the  coach, 
there  was  barely  time  for  Sir  Harry  to  catch  up  a  short  sword 
for  his  defence,  and  I  a  spyglass  that  lay  on  the  table. 
Sir  Harry  ran  the  first  of  the  party  through  the  vitals,  and 
I  managed  to  lay  Ned  Parsons'  head  open  with  the  spyglass; 
but  we  could  do  no  more,  for  we  were  thrown  down  by 
sheer  force  of  weight  and  numbers,  and  after  that  our  boot- 
less struggles  did  not  prolong  by  a  few  minutes  the  work  of 
binding  us  hand  and  foot.  From  these  bonds  there  was  no 
escaping  ;  Ned  Parsons  himself,  with  the  blood  yet  trickling 
down  his  face  and  grizzled  beard,  making  fast  each  knot  and 
testing  its  security.  When  this  was  done,  he  went  out  to 
the  main  deck  and  spoke  to  the  men  crowded  there,  and 
they  replied  with  a  great  cheer,  and  so  betook  themselves 
to  their  work,  shouting  and  talking  among  themselves  with 
much  content.  But  to  make  more  sure  of  us,  and  that  all 
might  see  we  were  not  contriving  our  escape,  this  Ned  Par- 
sons hauled  us  out  of  the  roundhouse  into  the  midst  of  the 
deck,  and  there  we  lay  in  the  burning  sun  all  day,  and  none 
had  the  humanity  to  give  us  meat  or  drink,  though  they  for 
the  most  part  made  themselves  as  drunk  as  beggars  by  mid- 
day. Nay,  when  Sir  Harry,  who  had  been  as  kind  to  these 
wretches  as  any  man  could  be,  asked  one  to  give  him  a  cup 
of  water,  the  villain  would  not,  but  replied,  with  a  brutal 
laugh,  that  he  should  have  more  water  than  he  could  drink 
at  sundown,  by  which  cruel  speech  we  preceived  that  our 
fate  was  sealed,  and  that  they  only  awaited  the  occasion  of 
Rodrigues'  coming  on  board  to  cast  us  into  the  sea. 

The  breeze  continuing  very  fresh,  we  pressed  onward  ; 
but  towards  evening  the  wind  abated,  as  it  does  in  these 
latitudes  about  sundown,  the  sails  flapped  against  the  mast, 
and  the  anchor  was  dropped. 

Soon  after  this  Rodrigues  came  abroad,  and  first  he  con- 
sulted with  Parsons,  who  had  contrived  to  keep  more  sober 
than  the  rest ;  then  they  held  a  council  with  all  the  men  in 
the  fore  part  of  the  ship,  after  which  Rodrigues  comes  to  us. 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

with  his  hat  in  his  hand,  as  civil  as  may  be,  and  with  a 
\vicked  smile  on  his  face  that  showed  all  his  pointed  teeth, 
so  that  with  his  hypocritical  air  he  did  look  more  like  a 
fiend  than  a  man. 

"  Gentlemen,"  says  he,  "  I  am  sorry  to  tell  you  we  L.cist 
part.  The  men,  one  and  all,  have  resolved  to  seek  their 
fortunes  elsewhere  than  in  Guiana,  and  lest  their  design 
should  be  distasteful  to  you  and  lead  to  any  further  break- 
ing of  heads  or  spitting  with  steel,  they  would  have  me,  as 
being  now  chief  in  command,  drop  you  overboard  with  a 
shot  tied  vound  your  necks.  I  have  done  my  best  to  alter 
their  disposition,  but  the  most  they  will  consent  to  in  your 
favor  is  that  you  shall  be  allowed  to  go  your  way  in  con- 
sideration of  your  giving  them  free  permission  to  go  theirs, 
with  a  solemn  promise  on  your  part  that  you  will  hereafter 
do  nothing,  if  you  have  the  chance,  to  bring  us  to  the 
gallows." 

"  Do  with  us  what  you  will,"  answers  Sir  Harry. 

•'  Ay,  and  be  cursed  for  the  villain  you  are,"  adds  I. 

"  As  you  do  not  refuse  the  offer  it  is  my  duty  to  make,  I 
shall  hold  it  you  accept,"  says  Rodrigues,  taking  no  notice 
of  me  ;  "  betwixt  gentlemen  no  formalities  are  needed.  It 
is  understood  that  in  accepting  your  life  you  agree  to  the 
conditions,  and  this  understanding  will  be  as  binding  on 
you  to  do  us  no  harm —  if,  as  I  say,  you  get  the  chance — 
as  though  you  had  put  hand  and  seal  to  a  bond." 

Then  making  us  a  bow,  he  went  back  to  the  men,  who, 
on  hearing  what  he  had  to  say,  gave  another  cheer,  and 
some  set  about  lowering  Sir  Harry's  own  barge,  while  others 
went  below  and  fetched  up  all  manner  of  stores  to  put  in  it. 
All  being  in  readiness,  we  were  taken  to  the  side  of  the 
ship,  bound  as  we  were,  and  with  a  rope  reeved  through  a 
block  at  the  yardarm,  we  were  hauled  up  and  lowered  like 
cattle  into  the  barge  that  lay  alongside.  For  the  first  time 
we  perceived  that  the  land  was  distant  no  more  than  half  a 
mile  or  so.  After  us  the  Indian  Cazique  Putijma,  whom, 
as  I  have  said,  Sir  Harry  had  brought  abroad  at  Punto  de 
Gallo  for  a  pilot,  was  made  to  come  down  in  the  barge,  and 
then  half  a  dozen  seamen  in  that  boat  that  had  brought 
Rodrigues  from  the  Adventurer  towed  us  with  a  line  to  the 
shore,  the  crew  giving  us  a  jeer  as  we  sheered  off,  and 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  45 

Rodrigues  (with  a  bow)  wishing  we  might  have  a  pleasant 
journey  to  Manoa,  and  find  a  kind  reception  and  store  of 
gold  there. 

Having  brought  us  to  land  and  made  our  barge  fast,  the 
boat's  crew,  with  somewhat  more  humanity  than  their 
fellows,  bade  us  good-bye  and  god-speed,  and  then  pulled 
off  quickly  back  towards  their  ship,  for  there  was  no  moon 
that  night,  and  it  was  now  grown  so  dark  that  we  could  but 
just  descry  the  two  ships  lying  off  in  the  bay. 

All  this  time  Putijma,  who  was  unbound,  had  sat  in  the 
barge  with  his  knees  up  to  his  chin  in  profound  silence ; 
for  such  is  the  stoic  character  of  these  Indians  when  over- 
come by  misfortune  from  which  they  see  no  escape.  But 
now  Sir  Harry,  who  spoke  Spanish,  addressed  him  in  that 
tongue,  begging  him  to  cut  our  cords,  and  this  he  did ; 
but  it  was  yet  some  minutes  ere  either  of  us  could  move,  so 
benumbed  and  stiff  were  we  with  our  long  confinement. 
When  I  got  the  use  of  my  limbs  and  hands,  I  drew  a  dram 
of  liquor  from  the  puncheon  among  our  stores,  and  gave  it 
to  Sir  Harry,  who  was  thereby  much  refreshed.  Then  did 
we  get  out  of  the  boat  to  exercise  our  legs,  and  finding  the 
sand  still  warm  and  pleasant  with  the  sun's  heat,  we  lay 
ourselves  down  to  sleep,  there  being  no  better  thing  to  do. 
But  first  I  got  from  the  boat  a  couple  of  muskets,  with 
powder  and  ball,  and  two  hatchets,  that  we  might  not  be 
unprovided  against  the  attack  of  wild  beasts  or  cannibals 
in  the  night  if  any  such  there  might  come  upon  us. 

But  Putijma  never  stirred  out  of  the  boat,  nor  could  Sir 
Harry  any  way  cheer  him  out  of  his  despondent  mood  ; 
and  the  last  I  saw  of  him  he  was  still  sitting  with  his  knees 
huddled  up  to  his  chin,  and  so  we  presently  fell  asleep. 

We  slept  soundly,  and  nothing  disturbed  our  slumber  all 
through  that  night.  The  sun  was  some  degrees  above  the' 
horizon  when  I  awoke,  and  a  smart  breeze  ruffling  the  sea. 
Sitting  up  I  looked  out  for  the  ships,  but  they  were  no 
longer  in  the  bay  ;  yet  methought  I  spied  one  sail  on  the 
horizon  to  the  south.  Then  I  got  upon  my  feet  and  looked 
for  the  barge  and  the  Indian  Cazique,  but  trace  or  sign  of 
either  could  I  see  none.  I  rubbed  my  eyes  and  looked 
again  ;  then  I  ran  a  hundred  yards  along  the  shore  east- 
ward, and  again  as  far  to  the  west ;  for  I  could  not  at 


46  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

once  realize  that  this  man  was  treacherous  to  us.  But 
'twas  all  in  vain  ;  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  So  I  roused 
up  Sir  Harry,  telling  him  how  the  Indian  had  played  us 
false  and  gone  away  with  the  boat,  which  was  our  only 
means  of  getting,  back  to  Trinidad,  and  like  distracted 
creatures  we  ran  along  the  shore  a  mile  one  way  and  a  mile 
the  other,  hallooing  aloud,  as  trying  to  cheat  ourselves  with 
the  hope  of  that  Putijma  had  slipped  away  by  accident,  and 
drifted  into  some  creek.  But  at  length  we  gave  up  the 
quest,  and  stood  gazing  before  us  as  still  and  silent  as 
statues  of  stone,  quite  overwhelmed  by  this  last  stroke  of 
misfortune. 

And  thus  were  we  two  poor  men  abandoned  on  an  un- 
known coast.  I  say  we  two  poor  men,  for  now  were  we 
leveled  to  the  same  degree  by  a  cruel  fate,  being  possessed 
of  no  more  than  a  gun  and  a  hatchet  apiece  besides  the 
clothes  we  stood  in,  and  with  the  same  dismal  expectation 
of  perishing  unfriended  in  a  wilderness. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

WE   FIND    OURSELVES    ON    A    DESERT    ISLAND,    AND    LITTLE 
COMFORT    BESIDES. 

AFTER  a  while  we  returned  to  the  place  where  we  lay 
during  the  night ;  and,   looking  about  us,  found  that 
the  cruel  Cazique  had  taken  away  the  keg  of  powder, 
the  puncheon  of  rum,  ay,  the  very  bread  we  had  brought 
for  our  refreshment  on  landing;    thus  robbing   us  of  our 
present  subsistence  and  the  means  of  procuring  other. 

Seeing  this,  Sir  Harry  threw  himself  on  the  sand  and 
sobbed  out  aloud  ;  for  as  yet  he  had  suffered  never  any 
hardship  or  disappointment.  But  it  was  otherwise  with 
me,  for  many  a  time  had  I  endured  privation  and  known 
no  hope.  Yet  did  it  move  my  heart  to  see  a  strong  man, 
and  one  naturally  light  of  heart,  gay,  and  of  high  spirit,  so 
abased  ;  so  I  sat  down  beside  him,  and,  laying  my  hand  on 
his  shoulder,  spoke  such  comforting  words  as  my  tongue, 
unused  to  such  exercise,  could  command.  And  this  may 
seem  strange,  seeing  that  hitherto  I  had  borne  him  no  love. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  47 

but  rather  jealousy  and  hatred.  But  you  shall  notice  that 
misfortune  doth  engender  kindness  in  hearts  the  least  sus- 
ceptible, so  that  a  man  who  would  jostle  another  and  show 
no  manner  of  kindness  and  civility,  both  being  strong, 
would  yet  bend  down  and  gently  succor  him  who  fell 
across  his  path  from  weakness ;  for  our  sympathy  is  with 
those  weaker  than  ourselves,  and  not  with  those  of  equal 
hardiness  ;  and  this,  I  take  it,  is  the  reason  of  the  great 
love  of  strong  men  for  weak  women,  and  the  wondrous 
tenderness  of  women  for  those  cast  down  by  sickness. 

Sir  Harry  would  not  be  comforted  ;  but  shaking  my 
hand  from  his  shoulder  he  cries  : 

"  Tis  easy  to  bear  the  misfortunes  of  other  people  ! " 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  am  I  better  off  than  you  ? " 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  for  you  have  but  changed  one  form  of 
misery  for  another.  These  woods  for  )rou  are  as  good  as 
those  you  left  in  Cornwall.  Your  prospects  here  as  good 
as  they  were  there.  But  I  !  what  have  I  not  lost  by  this 
change  .'  All  my  fortune  was  embarked  in  those  ships  ; 
and  with  them  I  lose  every  hope — fame  and  riches — my 
sweetheart.  All !  all !  What  now  have  I  ?  " 

"  The  hope  of  getting  away  from  this  place  ;  the  hope 
that — that  she  may  wait  faithfully  your  return." 

"  And  what  if,  by  a  miracle,  I  get  from  here,  can  I  hope 
to  recover  my  fortune  ?  I  must  go  a  beggar  back  to  Eng- 
land ;  nay,  a  debtor  for  the  ships  of  Sir  Bartlemy  that  I 
have  lost.  And  think  you  if  my  sweetheart  in  pity  would 
make  me  her  husband,  I  would  be  her  pensioner,  de- 
pendent on  her  bounty  for  the  bread  I  eat  ? " 

To  me  this  seemed  an  overstraining  of  sentiment ;  for  I 
would  have  been  content  to  take  that  dear  girl  for  my  wife, 
rich  or  poor ;  nay,  I  could  not  believe  that  any  sense  of 
dependence  or  bounty  could  exist  in  the  union  of  two  who 
love  entirely.  But  I  would  not  contrary  him  by  speaking 
of  this,  which  he  would  but  have  set  down  to  want  of 
decent  pride  and  self-respect  on  my  side. 

"  There  is  no  hope — no  hope  !  "  he  continues,  bitterly. 
"  I  am  undone  by  my  enemies,  and  you  are  one  of  them — 
a  man  I  have  sought  only  to  help — a  base  wretch  who 
would  not  speak  a  word  to  save  me  from  my  undoing." 

I   held   my  peace,  as  I  had  before,  when  he  spoke  after 


48  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

this  sort.  For  partly  I  felt  that  I  deserved  reproach,  and 
partly  I  saw  that  he  was  beside  himself  with  despair.  So  I 
let  him  be  that  he  might  vent  freely  all  his  passion.  But 
he  said  no  more  ;  and  for  some  while  he  lay  there  like  one 
who  cared  not  to  move  again.  Then  getting  upon  his  feet 
savagely-,  as  though  ashamed  of  his  weakness,  he  says  : 

"  Let  us  go  from  this  cursed  spot."  Then,  looking  about 
him  in  bewilderment,  "  Where  shall  we  go?" 

Be  a  man  never  so  wretched  he  must  eat  and  drink  ;  so 
I  told  him  we  must  first  of  all  seek  a  stream  to  quench  our 
thirst  ;  and  the  land  to  the  west  looking  most  promising,  I 
settled  to  explore  in  that  direction  ;  Sir  Harry  being  in- 
different so  that  we  got  away  from  this  unlucky  place  where 
we  had  been  set  ashore.  We  took  up  our  axes  and  mus- 
kets— which  the  thieving  Cazique  had  left  to  us  because 
they  lay  under  our  hands,  as  I  may  say,  and  he  feared  to 
awake  us — and  marched  onwards,  keeping  to  the  sand, 
which  was  very  level  and  firm,  the  tide  being  at  low  ebb. 
We  kept  on  this  way  for  best  part  of  a  league,  and  then 
the  shore  becoming  soft  with  a  kind  of  black  mud,  we  were 
forced  to  seek  higher  ground  ;  and  here  our  progress  was 
made  very  painful  and  slow  by  reason  of  the  scrubby 
growth,  which  was  mighty  thick  and  prickly,  so  that  we 
were  torn  at  every  step.  To  add  to  our  discomfort,  the  sun, 
being  now  high,  shone  with  prodigious  heat  upon  us,  and 
parched  us  with  thirst.  There  were  woods  at  hand,  but 
here  the  thorny  bush  was  so  high  and  closely  interwoven 
that  we  had  to  use  our  hatchets  to  make  any  way  at  all, 
and  then  were  we  no  better  off,  but  worse ;  wherefore  we 
were  obliged  to  return  to  that  part  where  the  earth  was 
less  encumbered.  Some  of  these  brambles  had  thorns  two 
inches  long,  and  curved  like  great  claws  ;  and  one  of  these 
tearing  my  leg  gave  me  much  torment.  As  the  sun  rose 
higher,  so  our  suffering  increased,  until,  after  marching 
best  part  of  two  hours,  we  were  ready  to  drop  with  fatigue. 
Fruit  there  was  in  abundance,  spread  out  temptingly  under 
our  feet ;  for  nearly  every  bush  bore  some  sort  of  apples 
or  grapes  ;  yet  dared  we  not  eat  any  for  fear  of  its  being 
venomous.  Of  this  venomous  fruit  I  had  heard  the  sea- 
men who  had  traveled  in  these  parts  tell,  and  how  a  man 
eating  of  it  will  presently  go  raving  mad  ;  and  I  pointed 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  49 

out  to  Sir  Harry,  who  would  fain  have  slaked  his  thirst 
with  this  growth,  that  we  had  as  yet  seen  neither  bird  nor 
beast,  which  argued  that  this  food  was  not  wholesome. 

However,  about  midday,  when  we  were  as  near  spent  as 
any  living  man  could  be,  we  came  to  a  turn  in  the  coast 
where  the  character  of  the  growth  changed  ;  and  here  we 
found  a  great  herb  with  leaves  spreading  out  on  all  sides  ; 
but  every  leaf  was  a  good  twenty  feet  long  and  half  a 
fathom  across,  so  that  it  gave  us  ample  shade  to  lie  in  ; 
and  never  was  man  more  content  than  I  to  get  out  of  the 
sunshine.  To  our  still  greater  comfort,  Sir  Harry  pres- 
ently spied  at  no  great  distance  a  low-growing  thicket,  in 
the  midst  of  which  grew  a  fruit  that  he  knew  for  a  pine- 
nut,  which  is  a  fruit  bigger  than  any  that  grows  in  Eng- 
land, of  a  yellow  complexion,  and  scaly  without,  but  of  ex- 
cellent condition  within.  Cutting  it  in  half  with  his  knife, 
he  gave  me  one  part,  and  bade  me  eat  it  without  fear  ;  and 
this  I  did,  though  not  without  compunction,  but  I  found  it 
truly  as  he  said,  both  meat  and  drink,  and  the  most  delic- 
ious ever  man  did  eat,  with  no  ill  effects  after. 

We  rested  ourselves  some  while,  and  then  being  much 
refreshed  continued  our  journey  over  very  fair  ground,  but 
yet  keeping  very  near  the  water  ;  and  so  rounding  a  head- 
land, and  facing  pretty  nearly  due  west,  we  perceived  an- 
other headland  across  the  water,  but  at  a  great  distance, 
which  led  us  to  conceive  that  we  were  upon  one  of  the 
mouths  of  the  Oronoque,  which,  as  we  know,  disembogues 
itself  by  many  issues  into  the  sea  over  a  length  of  a  hun- 
dred leagues  and  more  along  the  coast  of  Guiana.  And 
that  this  was  a  river,  and  not  an  inlet  of  the  sea,  we  proved 
by  tasting  of  the  water,  which  was  still  running  out  very 
troubled  ;  it  was  not  salt  and  bitter,  and  yet  too  thick  and 
brackish  to  drink.  And  now  the'  trees  approached  the 
water-side,  some  hanging  over,  with  thick  growth  every- 
where ;  and  though  I  know  English  trees  well,  and  the  dif- 
ferent sorts  of  herbs,  yet  all  here  were  new  to  me,  and  I 
saw  none  that  I  could  name.  For  prodigious  height  and 
girth  I  never  saw  the  like  of  the  trees,  which  were  besides 
wondrous  fair  to  the  eye,  but  painful  to  get  through  by  rea- 
son of  their  great  abundance,  and  the  maze  of  vines  and 
bramble  (as  I  must  call  them,  knowing  not  their  names) 


50  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

which  netted  them  together.  Surely  to  one  come  there  for 
pleasure  and  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  there  was  on  all  sides 
something  to  please  and  interest,  there  being  no  end  to 
the  variety  of  flowers  and  fruits,  their  colors  and  forms  ; 
but  to  us,  who  were  mainly  concerned  to  discover  where 
we  were  situated,  we  did  wish  best  part  of  these  trees  and 
shrubs  further. 

We  made  our  way  onward  for  two  hours  more,  yet  tin- 
land  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  appeared  no  nearer,  for 
the  rivers  in  these  parts  have  no  parallel  for  volume  ;  and 
then  we  came  (God  be  praised)  to  a  small  stream  running 
from  the  interior,  which  we  found  at  some  little  distance 
inward  to  be  very  sweet  and  good,  so  that  we  drank  of  it 
our  fill.  But  what  pleased  me  as  much  as  the  discovery  of 
this  water  was  the  print  of  a  cloven  foot  in  a  slough,  hard 
by,  which  1  judged,  by  the  form  and  size,  to  be  the  foot  of  a 
swine  ;  and  so  it  proved,  for  going  still  further,  but  with 
caution,  along  the  edge  of  this  marshy  land,  we  perceived  a 
whole  drove  of  this  cattle  stretched  out  in  the  warm  mire, 
grunting  from  time  to  time  as  pleasantly  as  any  English 
hogs.  Seeing  them  thus  within  range,  Sir  Harry,  ere  I 
could  check  him,  cocked  his  piece  and  let  fly  ;  and  though 
he  killed  one  dead  on  the  spot,  yet  was  I  sorry  he  had 
spent  his  fire  on  this  quarry,  for  I  believe  I  might  have 
knocked  one  on  the  head  and  done  for  him  with  a  blow  of 
my  hatchet  ;  and  now  were  we  left  with  only  one  charge  of 
powder  and  ball  to  meet  any  emergency. 

We  dragged  this  beast,  which  was  a  boar  pig  of  some  ten 
score,  as  I  reckoned,  away  from  the  morass,  which  I  dreaded 
to  stay  in  for  fear  of  serpents  or  other  noxious  beasts  ;  and 
finding  a  place  near  the  river  high  and  dry,  we  resolved  to 
stay  there  the  night,  for  the  day  was  nearly  spent,  as  were 
we  likewise.  Here  Sir  Harry  set  about  to  get  some  dry 
fuel  and  make  a  fire,  the  while  I  skinned  our  pig,  and  a 
marvelous  thick  hide  he  had  ;  and  so  much  the  better  was 
I  pleased,  for  I  saw  that  with  this  hide  cut  in  thongs  I  could 
make  us  a  good  gin  to  entrap  other  swine  when  we  had  oc- 
casion for  them,  also  a  sling  for  killing  birds,  and  other 
things  necessary  to  us  in  our  forlorn,  destitute  condition. 
Sir  Harry  got  some  dry  rotten  wood,  and  grinding  a  little 
to  powder  he  set  it  in  the  pan  of  his  firelock,  and  snapping 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  5 1 

the  cock  twice  or  thrice  succeeded  in  setting  it  burning  ; 
then  blowing  the  ember  gently  on  other  rotten  wood,  and 
that  on  dry  leaves  and  such-like,  he  in  the  end  got  a  flame 
to  put  to  his  bonfire,  and  over  this  on  pointed  sticks  we 
held  some  slices  cut  from  our  swine's  ham  ;  enough  not 
only  for  our  supper,  but  to  serve  us  cold  on  the  morrow  ; 
and  well  it  was  we  did  so  then,  for  the  next  morning  the 
carcase  I  had  hung  on  a  tree  overnight  was  all  green  and 
so  foul  we  were  fain  to  cast  it  in  the  river  to  be  washed 
away  with  the  current  ;  but  that  which  we  had  cooked  was 
sweet  and  good,  though  mighty  tough  eating. 

But  I  must  tell  of  the  strange  way  in  which  we  were 
awakened  that  morning,  which  was  by  the  crowing  of  a 
cock,  and  surely  nothing  in  this  land  so  full  of  unlooked- 
for  things  could  he  more  unexpected  than  this  familiar, 
homely  cry.  We  two  started  up  together  at  the  sound,  rub- 
bing our  eyes  to  be  sure  we  were  in  a  strange  country  and 
not  at  home  in  England.  But  again  this  bird  crowed,  and 
casting  our  eyes  about,  there  we  spied  a  fine  red  cock 
perched  in  the  boughs  of  a  tree  with  three  pullets  on  one 
side  of  him  and  two  on  the  other,  all  as  comfortable  as  you 
please,  and  not  yet  astir,  for  the  day  was  scarce  broke. 
Upon  this  we  concluded  that  there  must  be  human  habita- 
tion near,  and  overjoyed  at  the  hope  of  seeing  fellow-creat- 
ures in  a  land  where  we  had  thought  to  be  all  alone,  we 
started  to  our  feet  and  hallooed  with  all  our  might,  not 
reckoning  that  the  fellow-creatures  might  be  cruel  Indians 
who  might  murder  us,  and  mayhap  eat  us  afterwards  for 
our  pains. 

However,  though  we  hallooed  till  we  were  hoarse  and 
could  halloa  no  longer,  answer  came  there  none,  except  a 
clucking  of  the  fowls,  who  seemed  to  be  at  a  loss  what  we 
were  crowing  so  loud  about.  Yet  from  the  presence  of 
these  fowls  and  the  swine — which  seemed  to  us  not  natu- 
ral inhabitants  of  these  parts,  we  clung  to  the  idea  that 
some  sort  of  fellow-creatures  were  near,  and  so  with  a  more 
cheerful  heart  than  I,  for  one,  had  yet  felt  since  we  were 
put  ashore,  we  continued  our  march  when  we  had  eaten 
and  drunk  to  our  satisfaction.  But  first  we  took  of  the 
thongs  I  had  cut  from  the  swine's  hide  and  stretched  to  dry 
between  two  stakes,  one  apiece  to  serve  as  belts  in  which 


52  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

to  sling  our  hatchets,  another  which  I  had  fashioned  for  a 
sling,  and  two  or  three  besides  to  serve  for  what  occasion 
might  arise.  The  rest  we  left  behind  us,  marking  well  the 
spot.  Our  ham  steaks  were  covered  up  in  cool  leaves  to 
keep  them  fresh,  and  hung  them  also  to  the  thongs  about 
our  middle. 

That  night  we  came  to  a  point  projecting  into  the  midst 
of  a  vast  expanse  of  water,  and  seeming  to  cut  the  river 
into  two,  for  we  found  that  there  were,  as  I  may  say,  two 
currents — one  running  to  the  southeast,  and  the  other 
northeast — so  that  we  concluded  we  were  not  on  the  main- 
land at  all,  but  upon  an  island  in  one  of  the  great  mouths 
of  the  Orinoco.  This  was  made  evident  as  we  proceeded, 
for  still  marching  with  the  water  on  our  left  hand,  our  faces 
were  turned  to  the  east,  and  not  to  the  west  as  at  first ; 
and,  in  short,  on  the  third  day  of  our  march  we  came  again 
to  the  ocean,  and  about  midday  on  the  fourth  to  the  very 
spot  from  which  we  had  started. 

In  all  this  time  we  had  seen  no  human  creature,  nor  had 
we  met — thank  God  ! — with  any  serious  accident,  though 
inconveniences  not  a  few  ;  and  not  the  least  of  these  was 
a  multitude  of  flies  and  stinging  gnats,  especially  upwards 
away  from  the  sea,  which  were  a  great  plague  to  us,  and 
especially  to  Sir  Harry,  who  had  the  more  tender  skin,  and 
was  tormented  to  that  degree  that  he  could  get  no  peace 
night  or  day  for  the  intolerable  itching  and  smarting  of 
their  punctures.  Nor  did  we  meet  any  great  beast,  save  a 
huge  water-lizard  that  is  called  a  cocodrill,  which  lies  in  the 
waters  of  these  rivers  and  looks  like  nothing  on  earth  noth- 
ing on  earth  but  a  log  of  timber  at  a  distance.  Birds  there 
were  in  plenty,  and  with  my  sling  I  brought  down  enough 
for  use,  and  more  ;  and  to  speak  of  all  the  fruits  here  were 
a  waste  of  time.  Suffice  to  say  that  we  lacked  nothing  to 
satisfy  our  appetite,  and  came  to  no  harm  by  what  we  ate 
of  strange  things,  for  we  were  careful  to  eat  of  no  fruit  or 
herb  but  such  as  we  found  the  swine  and  other  animals 
feasted  upon. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  53 

CHAPTER  X. 

I    QUIT    THE    ISLAND    AND    MY    FRIEND. 

AND  now,  being  come  back  to  our  starting-place,  we  had 
to  consider  our  position  and  what  we  were  next  to  be  at. 
I  say  we,  but  in  truth  I  might  say  I  had  to  consider 
these  things,  for  Sir  Harry  seemed  to  have  neither  care  for 
the  present  nor  hope  for  the  future,  and  do  what  I  might  to 
bring  him  to  a  more  cheerful  complexion,  it  was  all  to  no 
purpose. 

"  What  is  there  to  do  in  this  cursed  island,"  says  he,  "  but 
to  eat  and  drink  and  sleep  till  we  die  ? " 

"  The  more  reason,"  says  I,  "  for  devising  some  means  of 
getting  away  from  this  isle  to  where  we  may  do  better." 

He  stretched  out  his  hands  towards  the  sea  that  laid  void 
before  us,  and  laughed  bitterly. 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  not  to  seem  discouraged,  though,  indeed, 
my  hopes  were  but  slight  ;  "  it  is  not  so  impossible  as  you 
think.  Take  it  that  the  day  we  left  Trinidado  the  gale  was 
in  our  favor,  we  could  but  have  made  twenty  or  thirty 
leagues  at  the  utmost.  Now  say  that  the  river  to  the 
north  is  three  leagues  broad,  we  may  yet,  by  taking  the 
current  at  our  highest  point,  contrive  to  make  our  way 
across  on  some  kind  of  raft,  using  a  bough  for  paddle. 
There  is  nothing  lacking  to  make  us  a  raft." 

"  Well,"  says  he,  "  say  by  good  hap  you  cross,  the  river 
and  get  on  another  isle — what  then  ?  " 

"  Then,"  says  I,  "  will  we  make  our  way  to  the  north  of 
that  island  and  cross  to  a  third,  or  a  fourth,  after  the  same 
fashion,  and  so  get  on  till  we  come  to  that  part  of  Guiana 
due  east  of  Trinidad,  whence  may  we  with  no  more  difficulty 
cross  the  strait." 

"  Suppose,  after  all,"  says  he,  "  that  we  get  to  Trinidado 
— what  then  ?  Shall  we  be  better  off  there  than  we  are 
here  ?  We  run  a  fair  chance  of  being  captured  for  slaves 
by  the  Portugals,  to  be  sure." 

"  Also,"  says  I,  "  run  a  fair  chance  of  escaping  them  and 
being  picked  up  by  some  English  ship  putting  in  as  ours 
did  to  revictual." 

"  Allowing  that  your  fondest  hopes  be  realized,"  says  he, 


54  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  is  our  case  mended  ?  Is  it  worse  to  sleep  away  our  lives 
here  than  to  be  taken  into  England  as  a  raree  show  for  men 
to  laugh  at  and  women  to  pity  ?  No,"  says  he,  with  more  pas- 
sion than  he  had  yet  shown  ;  "  no,  I  say  !  It  is  not  better, 
but  a  hundred  times  worse,  and  I  for  one  will  never  go  back 
to  be  scorned  for  a  silly  fellow  who  could  not  hold  his  own." 

It  was  not  for  me  to  reproach  him,  for  had  I  not  also 
abandoned  myself  under  adversity  ?  I  was  convinced,  and 
so  I  am  now,  that  a  despair  is  a  malady  of  mind  as  much  as 
is  ague  a  distemper  of  the  body  ;  and  though  men  say  one 
should  not  give  way  to  despair,  but  should  overcome  it  by 
an  effort  of  will,  yet,  I  say,  that  if  the  will  be  attacked  by  a 
great  shock  and  enfeebled  by  misfortune,  it  is  powerless  to 
exercise  its  function.  For  such  as  suffer  from  this  disease 
of  the  mind  there  is  no  help  from  within,  but  its  only  suc- 
cor is  from  without.  Wherefore,  the  kindly  ministrations 
of  a  friend  will  do  as  much  to  restore  health  in  this  case  as 
the  help  of  a  doctor  in  any  other.  For  this  reason  I  bore 
patiently  with  Sir  Harry  in  his  morose  and  sullen  humors, 
and  sought  all  I  could  to  divert  his  spirit  from  brooding 
over  misfortunes  not  to  be  undone.  But  I  think  all  that  I 
did  in  this  way  produced  me  more  good  than  it  did  him  ; 
for  whereas  he  continued  despondent  and  dull,  I  grew 
more  cheerful  and  humane.  I  waited  upon  him  like  a  ser- 
vant, and  this  service,  with  my  pity  to  see  a  young,  fine  man 
so  cast  down,  engendered  a  feeling  of  love  in  my  breast 
such  as  I  had  never  before  felt  for  any  man.  Nay,  I  even 
looked  to  getting  with  him  back  to  England,  and  seeing  him 
married  to  Lady  Biddy  Fane,  without  any  feeling  of  jealousy, 
being  not  only  more  gentle  of  heart,  but  more  reasonable  of 
mind. 

At  this  time  we  stayed  on  high  ground  to  the  south  of 
our  territory,  over  against  that  part  where  we  first  found 
the  pine-nut ;  not  only  because  of  the  shade  we  got  there 
from  the  sun,  but  by  reason  that  it  was  adjacent  to  the 
stream  of  good  water,  and  not  far  from  the  fen  where  the 
swine  came  to  wallow,  and  where  there  was  abundance  of 
fowl  and  fruit  good  to  eat. 

While  we  were  here,  Sir  Harry  fell  sick  of  a  fever,  bred 
partly,  as  I  think,  from  his  low,  desponding  spirit,  and 
partly  from  the  vapors  that  rose  from  the  marshy  valley 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  55 

below.  When  I  found  he  could  no  longer  sit  upright  and 
began  to  wander  in  his  speech,  I  took  him  on  my  back, 
and,  by  stages  of  a  dozen  yards,  carried  him  away  from  that 
unwholesome  spot  right  down  to  the  sea-shore,  and  there, 
finding  an  easy  slope,  I  laid  him  down,  and,  as  speedily  as 
1  could,  set  about  making  a  kind  of  house  to  shield  him 
from  the  sun.  The  night  being  fairly  light,  by  dint  of  many 
journeys  to  and  fro  and  much  toil,  I  planted  a  dozen  stakes 
in  the  sand,  bending  them  down  till  they  joined  at  the  top, 
in  the  form  of  a  great  A,  and  binding  them  to  a  cross  tree, 
then  I  thatched  this  framework  with  those  long  and  broad 
palmetto  leaves  of  which  I  have  spoken.  Here  he  lay  as  com- 
fortable as  might  be  for  one  in  his  burning  condition,  the 
sea  breeze  passing  through  the  shelter  and  tempering  the 
heat  of  the  sun. 

He  could  eat  nothing  ;  however  I  made  shift  to  stew  a 
fowl  in  the  shell  of  a  gourd,  and  when  the  broth  was  cold  I 
got  him  to  drink  it,  for  he  had  a  perpetual  thirst ;  and  that 
his  drink  might  be  cool  and  refreshing,  I  went  a  score  of 
times  during  the  day  almost  to  the  source  of  the  stream, 
where  the  water  was  of  the  best.  Of  such  fruits  as  were 
good  also  I  gave  him,  particularly  the  apples  from  a  low, 
square-boughed  tree  with  egg-shaped  leaves,  which  is  called, 
I  believe,  guava. 

And  now  I  prayed  to  God  that  this  man's  life  might  be 
spared,  and  that  I  might  not  be  left  alone,  which  more  than 
all  proves  the  great  and  good  change  which  had  been 
wrought  in  my  heart  since  the  time  when  I  sought  but  to 
escape  from  the  society  of  mankind,  and  wished  harm  to  all 
men,  and  this  one  above  all. 

At  the  end  of  seven  days'  very  painful  watching,  Sir 
Harry's  disorder  took  a  turn,  and  soon  after  he  began  to 
mend  (thanks  be  to  God  !)  so  that  he  could  take  meat 
instead  of  slops  to  his  diet.  Yet  was  he  greatly  changed, 
his  skin  having  lost  its  freshness  and  healthful  color,  and 
his  face  much  wasted.  Also  he  was  very  weak,  and  for  days 
lay  exhausted  and  unable  to  move,  yet  with  his  eyes  wide 
open  and  very  bright.  After  a  while  I  persuaded  him  to 
rise  in  the  cool  of  the  morning  and  evening,  and  then  would 
he  take  a  turn,  leaning  on  my  arm.  And  though  he  said 
nothing,  I  perceived  he  recognized  the  love  I  bore  fur  him, 


5 6  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

and  was  grateful  for  ray  care.  What  pleased  me  vastly  was 
to  perceive  that  a  change  had  been  wrought  in  his  spirit  ; 
it  seemed  as  though  his  sluggish  indifference  had  been 
purged  away.  When  the  fever  had  quite  left  him,  his  eyes 
continued  bright  and  eager,  and  there  was  in  his  face  an 
eager  expression,  telling  of  an  anxiety  which  only  exists 
where  there  is  hope.  But  what  his  hope  was  he  told  me 
not.  This  encouraged  me  to  believe  that  he  designed 
leaving  the  island  (where  there  was,  as  I  could  see,  naught 
to  hope  for),  and  not  dying  there,  as  he  had  at  first  resigned 
himself  to.  I  again  began  to  meditate  on  the  means  of 
reaching  Trinidado,  but  I  refrained  from  opening  the  subject 
yet  awhile,  because  he  was  still  too  feeble  to  undertake  the 
fatigue  of  it. 

One  day,  when  I  had  returned  to  the  hut  by  the  shore 
from  the  inner  parts,  where  I  had  been  planting  a  snare  to 
catch  a  pig,  I  found  Sir  Harry  absent ;  but  soon  after  I 
heard  him  shouting,  and,  turning  my  eyes,  I  spied  him  run- 
ning towards  me  along  the  sand  with  something  in  his 
hand,  which,  as  he  came  nearer,  I  perceived  was  the  stave 
of  a  barrel. 

"Look  at  that,"  says  he,  with  much  emotion;  "there 
have  been  men  on  this  island  before  us.  Up  in  the  wood 
there  is  a  broken  barrel ;  this  is  a  stave  of  it.  Men  brought 
it  here." 

"  Why,  for  a  certainty,"  says  I,  "  this  wood  never  sprang 
out  of  the  earth  fashioned  thus  ?" 

"  No,"  says  he,  "  nor  did  the  pigs  on  this  island  spring 
out  of  the  earth." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  I  asked,  perplexed  by 
this  observation. 

"  I  mean,"  says  he,  "  that  the  men  who  came  here  to 
fetch  water  in  that  barrel  left  the  swine  and  the  fowls  to 
multiply  against  the  time  they  should  come  here  to  revic- 
tual.  I  thought  as  much  as  I  lay  there  in  my  sickness 
hearing  the  cock  crow,  and  now  I  have  the  proof.  Do  you 
doubt  it,  man — do  you  doubt  it  ?  " 

"  Not  a  whit,"  says  I ;  "and  I  wonder  I  have  not  drawn 
the  conclusion  before,  for  I  remember  now  how  Rodrigues 
told  me  it  was  the  habit  of  pirates,  who  fight  shy  of  towns, 
to  provide  for  themselves  in  this  wise." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  57 

"Then  you  think,"  says  he  eagerly,  "that  they  are 
pirates  who  came  hither  ?  " 

"  Ay,  and  not  honest  men  ;  that  is  my  fear,"  says  I. 

"  And  I  trust  they  be  pirates,  and  not  honest  men,  if  they 
are  to  come  here  again,"  says  he  ;  "  for  then  may  I  get 
back  all  I  have  lost,  and  more  to  boot." 

"  As  how  ? "  says  I,  not  without  trouble  in  my  mind. 

"  By  the  same  means  my  fortune  was  taken  from  me — by 
strategy  and  force." 

"  Surely  you  would  not  become  a  pirate — you,  a  gentle- 
man of  birth  and  breeding  ?  " 

"  And  what  was  Drake  but  a  gentleman  ? "  says  he  ; 
"  and  Candish  :  what  of  him  ?  " 

I  shook  my  head,  and  heaved  a  sigh  to  hear  this  argument 
from  the  lips  of  my  friend,  which  I  had  listened  to  from 
such  a  rascal  as  Rodrigues. 

"  Why,"  says  he,  in  a  rallying  tone,  "you  were  not  so 
squeamish  aboard  the  Sure  Hawk." 

"  No,"  says  I ;  "  but  I  thank  the  Lord  I  have  not  taken 
his  warning  in  vain." 

He  laughed  scornfully,  as  though  thinking  my  peril  had 
made  me  prayerful,  and  caressing  the  barrel  stave  with  his 
hand,  lifted  his  head  and  scanned  the  sea,  as  already  ex- 
pecting the  return  of  those  pirates  we  talked  of. 

"  And  is  your  fortune  all  you  expect  to  get  by  becoming 
a  pirate  ? "  I  asked,  laying  my  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  What  more  do  I  want,  forsooth  ?  "  asks  he  lightly. 

"  Why,  sir,"  says  I,  "  the  peace  of  mind  to  enjoy  it." 

"  As  for  that,"  says  he,  "  however  I  get  it  I  warrant  it 
shall  bring  me  more  enjoyment  than  I  can  expect  stopping 
here,  or  going  back  to  England  a  beggar." 

"  Are  you  so  daunted  by  the  outset  that  you  despair  of 
getting  gold  honestly  in  Guiana?  " 

"  Hum  !  "  says  he  ;  "I  cannot  see  that  it  is  much  more 
honest  to  take  gold  from  the  Ingas  of  Manoa,  who  have 
never  done  us  harm,  than  from  the  Spaniard,  who  has 
sought  to  undo  us  with  his  flotilla  ;  but,  be  that  as  it  may, 
you  will  show  me  how  we  are  to  get  to  Manoa,  who  are  not 
yet  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  Oronoque,  ere  I  give  that 
enterprise  the  preference." 

"  Single-handed  we  can  do  nothing,  but  I  will  answer  for 


$8  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

it  that  my  uncle,  Sir  Bartlemy,  instead  of  being  discouraged 
by  our  first  failure,  will  be  more  inclined  to  persevere  in  it. 
You  know  his  nature  as  well  as  I  do.  A  reverse  does  but 
strengthen  his  determination,  as  a  bite  infuriates  a  bulldog." 

"  That  is  true,"  says  he  ;  "  he  is  an  Englishman  to  the 
very  marrow  of  his  bones." 

"  Well,  then,"  says  I,  "  shall  he  not  fit  you  out  another 
expedition  ?" 

"  Why,  man,  how  can  he  ?  Nearly  all  he  had  was  united 
to  my  fortune  in  buying  the  two  ships  I  have  lost  and  in 
equipping  them.  He  is  a  ruined  man.  Ruined  by  me  !  " 

"If  he  lacks  money,  other  shall  be  found.  He  will  move 
heaven  and  earth  to  save  you  from  the  disgrace  of  sinking 
to  the  level  of  such  wretches  as  Morgan  and  Sawkins,  and 
this  Rodrigues." 

In  this  sort  I  argued  with  him  persistently,  till  at  length, 
seeing  that  I  was  not  to  be  shaken  off  by  argument,  he  turns 
about  and  says : 

"  Look  you,  Pengilly,  I  will  never  go  begging  in  England, 
even  for  a  second  chance  to  be  cast  away  on  this  island.  I 
can  not  easily  consent  that  another  should  beg  for  me  ;  for 
a  craven  I  must  appear  in  either  cases.  But  since  your 
mind  is  set  on  this  thing,  go  you  to  England  without  me  ; 
and  if  any,  for  my  sake,  will  make  this  venture,  lead  them 
hither  ;  then,  if  I  be  still  here  and  alive,  I  will  attempt  this 
expedition  to  Manoa.  Nay,"  he  adds,  interrupting  me, 
when  I  began  to  protest  that  I  would  not  quit  him  ;  "  leave 
me  here  and  go  about  this  business  as  you  will,  you  shal\ 
still  be  the  more  generous  of  the  two  ;  for  I  swear  to  you 
that  if  the  worst  pirate  that  sails  the  seas  comes  here  I  will 
cast  in  my  lot  with  him,  whether  you  accompany  me,  or 
whether  you  refuse  to  take  part  with  us." 

Seeing  him  very  stubborn  and  resolved  upon  this  point, 
I  then  began  to  think  seriously  of  getting  away  as  best  I 
could  ;  for,  thinks  I,  'twere  more  humane  to  leave  him  here 
alone,  with  the  chance  of  bringing  him  succor  and  the 
means  of  honestly  escaping  from  his  solitude,  than  to  rest 
here  inactive  until  perchance  there  comes  some  villainous 
sea-rover  with  whom  he  shall  take  his  departure.  For  my 
own  part  I  had  no  leaning  to  piracy  ;  for,  though  I  love  the 
Spaniard  no  more  than  any  other  true  Englishman  may,  yet 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  59 

I  knew  full  well  that  Rodrigues  and  such  fellows  would  not 
question  closely  whether  their  prey  was  Spanish,  but  would 
pillage  and  sink  any  craft  that  sailed  so  that  it  had  not  the 
strength  to  resist  attack. 

So,  going  along  the  border  of  that  upper  stream,  which  in 
my  ignorance  I  will  call  North  River.  I  came  upon  a  great 
tree  that  was  dead  and  decayed  about  the  roots,  so  that  it 
needed  but  little  cutting  to  make  it  fall,  and  that  close  to 
the  water.  This  tree  was  fully  three  fathoms  in  girth,  and 
proportionately  tall,  straight,  and  fair,  decayed  only  where 
the  humors  of  the  earth  had  attacked  its  base,  light  and  very 
proper  in  all  ways  to  my  use.  Wherefore  I  set  to  work, 
and,  cutting  on  that  side  I  wished  it  to  fall,  I  felled  it  with 
no  very  great  difficulty.  When  it  was  down  I  found  the 
upper  part  sound,  as  I  expected,  and  not  so  hard  but  that 
with  patient  labor  I  succeeded  in  cutting  two  lengths  each  of 
five  fathoms  long.  These  two  lengths  I  set  side  by  side,the 
thicker  end  of  one  against  the  thinner  end  of  the  other  ;  then 
I  got  a  quantity  of  those  long  vines  which  the  Indians  call 
lianas,  which  are  very  stringy  and  tough  as  good,  hemp  rope 
and  with  this  I  bound  my  timbers  together  in  a  hundred 
places,  but  separately,  so  that  if  by  chance  one  broke  the  rest 
would  still  hold.  But  I  must  tell  you  that  for  the  greater 
convenience  of  working  these  huge  logs  I  launched  them 
separately  into  a  shallow  before  I  began  to  bind  them  about, 
which  was  well,  for  I  could  never  have  moved  them  else. 
After  that  I  sought  out  two  slight  trees  of  hard  growth 
that  were  not  more  than  thirty  feet  high,  and  cutting 
them  down,  I  trimmed  them  into  two  poles,  each  four 
fathoms  long.  Then,  midway  in  the  length  of  my  logs 
I  made  two  holes — one  in  each,  and  parallel  one  with  the 
other.  To  do  this  I  jagged  the  mouth  of  my  musket 
barrel  about,  grinding  each  jag  into  a  sharp  tooth  with  a 
hard  stone,  by  which  contrivance  I  made  a  tool  to  serve  in 
place  of  an  augur.  When  I  had  pierced  the  logs  right 
through  I  enlarged  the  holes  by  making  my  musket-barrel 
red-hot  in  a  fire,  and  working  it  about  in  the  holes.  Into 
these  sockets  I  fitted  my  two  poles,  using  every  device  I 
could  think  of  to  make  them  firm  and  secure  ;  and  this 
being  done,  and  both  poles  standing  bolt  upright,  I  turned 
the  logs  on  their  side  so  as  to  get  the  ends  of  the  poles 


60  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

within  reach,  and  these  ends  I  bent  until  they  met,  and  so 
bound  them  together  with  lianas  to  make  them  bite  stili 
closer  in  their  closets,  and  also  to  be  a  support  one  to  the 
other  against  the  gale,  for  they  were  to  serve  me  as  a  mast. 
For,  by  the  time  my  logs  were  cut,  launched,  and  bound 
together,  as  I  have  shown,  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  would  be  better  to  venture  the  whole  voyage  by 
water,  keeping  as  near  as  might  be  to  the  main,  and  taking 
advantage  of  favorable  breezes,  rather  than  to  abandon  my 
raft  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  make  my  way  on- 
ward by  land  to  that  point  nearest  Trinidado,  as  1  had  first 
meditated  on,  for  I  knew  not  what  other  great  rivers  there 
might  be  to  cross,  nor  how  many  rafts  I  might  have  to  make 
ere  I  got  to  my  journey's  end  ;  and  the  difficulty  of  making 
such  a  raft,  rude  as  it  was,  no  one  can  conceive  but  those 
who  have  had  a  like  difficulty  to  contend  with.  It  cost  me 
four  months  and  ten  days  of  painful  labor  to  achieve  that 
which  I  have  set  down. 

During  this  time  Sir  Harry  had  not  been  idle  ;  and 
though  he  could  not  honestly  encourage  me  with  a  hope  of 
bringing  my  business  to  a  happy  issue,  yet  he  helped  me 
with  a  willing  heart,  and  said  nothing  which  might  discour- 
age me  neither.  But  he  was  as  firmly  fixed  in  his  intent  as 
I  on  mine,  and  rarely  worked  up  the  river  with  me,  lest  in 
his  absence  the  ship  he  expected  might  come  and  go  away 
again.  Anything  he  could  do  within  sight  of  the  sea  he 
did,  and  this  was  no  trifle.  Here  every  day  he  provided 
food  for  our  necessity,  and  in  his  spare  time  he  fashioned 
me  a  long  yard  for  my  mast,  and,  which  was  more,  he  made 
a  shoulder-of-mutton  sail — to  rig  on  my  mast  like  a  lateen 
on  a  zebec — of  long  reeds  very  ingeniously  woven  together. 
Also  he  devised  two  vessels  to  contain  fresh  water  for  my 
use  by  stripping  a  couple  of  hogs  from  the  neck  downward 
without  cutting  the  skin.  These  skins  he  turned  inside 
out,  scraped  off  all  the  fat  carefully,  and  then  steeping  them 
in  the  sea  until  they  were  cured,  and  afterward  washing 
them  some  days  in  the  stream  of  fresh  water,  they  were 
found  good  and  sound,  each  holding  a  good  hogshead  of 
water. 

Besides  this,  he  cut  a  vast  quantity  of  pork  steaks  and 
cured  them  in  the  sun,  which  may  be  done  without  corrupt- 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  6 1 

ing  the  flesh  if  it  be  laid  where  the  sun  is  hot  and  the  air 
dry.  Moreover,  he  saved  all  the  bladders  of  hogs  that  he 
killed,  blew  them  out,  and  coated  them  over  with  a  sort  of 
pitch  to  preserve  them  from  the  attacks  of  flies  and  insects. 
This  pitch  comes  from  the  sea  of  those  parts,  and  is  washed 
ashore  by  the  tide,  and  being  melted  before  a  fire,  it  is  as 
good  a  pitch  as  any  in  the  world.  These  bladders  I  tied 
on  to  the  extremities  of  long  poles  lashed  crosswise  to  my 
raft  to  serve  as  a  sort  of  buoys  to  bear  up  that  side  to  which 
the  sail  inclined,  and  prevent  the  raft  from  capsizing  in  a 
sudden  squall. 

I  bound  some  bundles  of  these  transversely  to  the  logs 
to  serve  me  as  a  deck,  and  many  other  provisions  I  made, 
such  as  a  great  stone  at  the  end  of  a  line  for  an  anchor,  a 
paddle  to  serve  as  a  rudder,  etc.  In  fine — not  to  weary  the 
reader  with  tedious  descriptions — just  ten  months  to  a  day 
from  the  time  we  were  set  ashore  all  was  made  ready  for 
my  departure. 

And  now,  taking  Sir  Harry's  hands  in  mine  and  pressing 
them  close,  I  begged  him  to  come  with  me. 

"  Look  you,"  says  I,  "•  this  offer  is  not  unpremeditated  on 
my  part.  All  through  I  have  borne  it  in  mind,  and  for  that 
reason  have  I  measured  my  boat  and  all  things  to  serve  two 
rather  than  one.  Here  is  provision  for  both  and  to  spare  ; 
the  breeze  is  favorable,  and  all  things  promise  a  prosperous 
outcome.  Do,  then,  be  persuaded  by  me,  dear  friend,  to 
share  my  fate  ;  if  not  for  your  sake  and  mine,  then  for 
those  who  love  you  in  England  and  are  eagerly  hoping  for 
your  return." 

He  was  not  unmoved  by  this  address,  and  the  tears 
sprang  in  his  eyes  as  he  wrung  my  hand  in  silence  ;  but  he 
shook  his  head  the  while. 

"  No,"  says  he,  presently  ;  "  no,  Pengilly  ;  you  know  not 
the  pride  of  my  heart.  It  would  kill  me  with  shame  to 
show  myself  a  beggar  there,"  turning  his  eyes  toward  the 
north.  "  I  am  a  ruined  man — ay,  ruined  body  and  soul — 
for  I  feel  that  I  am  unworthy  of  your  love.  Go  !  " 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  let  me  stay  that  my  persuasion  may 
work  on  you.  I  left  my  offer  to  the  last,  hoping — " 

"  I  know,"  says  he,  interrupting  me.  "  You  hoped  that 
the  prospect  of  being  left  alone,  coming  to  be  reviewed  sud- 


62  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

denly,  would  shake  my  resolution.  But  I  have  foreseen 
this.  I  saw  that  you  were  preparing  for  two  to  make  voy- 
age on  the  raft.  I  knew  that  you  were  not  dwelling  cheer- 
fully day  by  day  on  the  prospect  of  escape,  but  to  excite  a 
desire  in  me  to  escape  with  you.  I  know  what  is  in  your 
heart,  and  have  just  sensibility  enough  left  in  mine  to  value 
it.  But  I  will  not  go.  I  am  resolved,  and  naught  can 
shake  my  resolution  from  its  centre.  Go  ;  and  may  God 
bless  you." 

So  with  a  very  sad  heart  I  was  fain  to  accept  his  decision; 
and  shoving  out  into  the  stream  I  went  down  swiftly  with 
the  current,  and  had  not  the  courage  to  look  back  for  that 
poor  lonely  man  I  was  leaving  behind. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

I  AM  EXCELLENTLY  SERVED  BY  MY  FAMOUS  INVENTION,  AND 
COME  TO  ENGLAND  NOT    MUCH  THE  WORSE  FOR  IT. 

BY  making  vigorous  enployment  of  my  paddle,  first  on 
one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  I  continued  to  keep 
well  in  the  midst  of  the  river;  and  the  tide  then  ebbing 
fast,  I  was  quickly  swept  across  the  shallows  at  the  mouth, 
and  so  out  to  sea. 

And  now  I  thought  it  proper  to  hoist  my  sail  ;  so,  laying 
aside  my  paddle,  I  drew  up  the  lateen  between  my  two 
masts  till  it  was  taut,  and  then  making  fast  the  liana  found 
it  acted  well  enough,  for  at  once  it  filled  out  very  full  and 
fair  to  the  breeze,  which  was  blowing  pretty  brisk  from  the 
southeast. 

But  now  my  difficulties  and  troubles  began,  for  I  had  no 
experience  in  the  governing  of  a  sailing  boat,  and  ere  I  had 
got  to  work  at  my  paddle,  my  raft  veered  round  before  the 
gale,  the  sail  flapping  to  and  fro  between  the  masts,  and 
I  had  all  the  pain  in  the  world  to  get  her  head  round  and 
my  sail  full  again.  And  when  this  was  achieved,  I  found  a 
fresh  fault,  and  this  was  that  my  buoys  were  nothing  near 
sufficient  to  resist  the  pressure  of  the  sail,  so  that  they 
dipped  deep  into  the  water,  the  poles  to  which  they  were 
fastened  bending  to  such  a  degree  that  I  expected  nothing 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE,.  63 

less  every  moment  but  that  they  would  snap  under  the 
strain,  and  the  raft  capsize  utterly,  to  my  final  undoing. 
Wherefore  I  was  fain  to  abandon  my  paddle,  and  reef  the 
lower  part  of  the  sail  to  lessen  the  pressure,  in  which  time 
I  again  lost  the  wind  ;  so  back  to  my  paddle  and  more 
labor  to  bring  me  round  once  more  before  the  breeze. 

By  this  time  I  perceived  that  the  current  of  the  sea  and 
my  bungling  together  had  swept  me  far  from  the  coast,  and 
rather  to  the  south  than  to  the  north.  And  to  my  great 
perplexity  I  found  that  I  could  not  get  the  wind  in  my  sail 
without  drifting  still  further  from  the  shore  to  the  west  ; 
for  if  I  steered  to  the  north,  then  would  the  wind  go  out 
of  my  sail,  and  the  craft,  losing  way,  would  drift  with  the 
current  to  the  south,  so  that  if  I  did  nothing  matters  could 
be  no  worse.  At  last  I  was  constrained  to  lower  my  sail 
altogether  and  seek  to  make  head  against  the  current  by 
vigorous  use  of  my  paddle,  first  on  one  side  and  then  on 
the  other,  as  I  say.  And,  lord  !  no  man  could  be  more 
encompassed  with  troubles  than  I  was,  or  sweat  more  to 
overcome  them  than  I  did  at  this  time.  At  length,  from 
sheer  exhaustion,  I  was  fain  to  give  over,  and  let  my  raft, 
without  sail  or  oar,  go  whither  it  might.  I  set  me  down  on 
my  deck  of  rushes,  and  casting  my  eyes  toward  the  land 
was  dismayed  to  find  it  but  an  indistinct  line  on  the  horizon 
(I  have  been  out  to  sea  now  four  hours  or  more),  and  to 
the  best  of  my  belief  I  stood  further  from  Trinidado,  after 
all  my  trouble,  than  ere  I  started  forth.  And  let  this  be  a 
warning  to  all  men  that  they  put  not  to  sea  ere  they  have 
learned  to  sail. 

When  I  had  refreshed  myself  with  some  water  and  one  of 
my  dried  pork  steaks  (which,  that  they  might  not  be  per- 
ished by  the  sea  water,  I  had  hanged  conveniently  high  on 
one  of  my  masts),  I  rose  up,  and  with  a  kind  of  desperate 
fury  essayed  again  to  make  a  proper  course.  First,  I  went 
at  my  sail  once  more,  and  when  I  found  that  of  no  avail, 
but  rather  the  contrary,  I  seized  my  paddle,  and  worked 
at  it  like  any  galley  slave  ;  aed  though  I  could  see  no 
improvement,  yet  did  1  persevere  diligently.  Then,  fancy- 
ing the  breeze  was  a  little  abated  and  blew  from  another 
quarter,  I  went  (with  a  prayer)  and  once  more  lifted  my  sail, 
but  that  would  not  do  ;  and  so  (with  a  curse)  I  dropped 


94  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

it  and  back  to  my  paddle.  In  fine,  to  cut  a  long  story 
short,  I  wasted  my  pains  all  that  day,  and  had  the  mortifi- 
cation as  I  sat  down  once  more  to  rest  my  aching  limbs,  to 
find  the  land  no  longer  in  sight ;  nor  anything  else  but  the 
water  all  around  me. 

Seeing  it  was  useless  to  work  when  I  could  no  longer  see 
for  want  of  light  (though  not  more  useless  than  before,  may 
be),  I  lay  me  down  on  my  reeds  (the  sea,  God  be  praised  ! 
having  subsided  when  the  wind  dropped  to  an  agreeable 
calm),  and  presently  fell  asleep. 

The  next  day  there  was  no  need  to  experiment  with  my 
sail,  for  not  a  breath  of  air  stirred  ;  so  I  worked  steadily 
at  my  paddle  pretty  nearly  the  whole  day,  but  I  was  forced 
to  desist  in  the  noon  for  some  time  because  of  the  great 
heat  of  the  sun,  and  that  while  I  sheltered  myself  under 
the  sail,  which  was,  God  knows,  all  the  use  it  ever  served 
me.  All  that  day  I  heard  not  a  sound  but  such  as  I  made 
with  my  paddles,  and  the  sea  was  like  so  much  glass 
extended  about  me,  and  a  mist  all  around  the  horizon 
caused  by  the  sun  sucking  up  with  his  great  heat  the 
vapors  from  the  water.  When  the  sun  set,  this  mist  settled 
over  the  whole  sea,  so  that  I  could  see  never  a  star  to 
cheer  me,  and  this  made  me  very  sad  and  prayerful,  for  it 
seemed  as  if  a  death-pall  were  being  spread  over  my 
unhappy  being.  Then  would  I  gladly  have  been  back  with 
Sir  Harry  on  the  island  ;  and  thinking  of  him  and  our  misera- 
ble estate,  both  alone,  and  like  to  perish  without  ever  again 
hearing  the  sound  of  a  cheerful  voice,  the  tears  began  to 
flow  from  my  eyes  as  from  a  woman's ;  and  I  do  think  I 
fell  asleep  weeping. 

About  midnight  (as  I  reckon)  I  was  awakened  by  the 
freshening  of  the  breeze  ;  yet  nothing  could  I  see.  I 
groped  my  way  along  very  carefully  to  my  masts,  that  I 
might  have  them  to  hold  by,  for  already  the  sea  was  ris- 
ing ;  and  it  was  well  that  I  did  so,  for  in  an  amazingly 
short  space  of  time  the  breeze  quickened  to  a  gale,  and 
beat  the  waters  so  high  that  I  was  like  to  have  been  swept 
away  by  the  waves  as  they  burst.  I  will  not  dwell  on  the 
increasing  terrors  of  that  night,  for  no  words  can  describe 
the  fury  of  that  hurricane,  or  my  dread  lest  the  binding  of 
my  logs  should  be  rent  asunder  and  my  frail  resting-place 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  65 

part  under  me.  And  here  let  me  observe  that,  no  matter 
how  a  man  may  desire  death  at  other  times,  yet  in  the  hour 
of  peril  will  he  ever  cling  desperately  to  life. 

When  morning  broke,  my  case  was  no  better  than  in  the 
night ;  and  looking  around  me  at  the  billows  that  threat- 
ened every  moment  to  engulf  me,  I  was  appalled,  and  could 
but  say,  over  and  over  again,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  !  " 
For  a  long  while  I  experienced  neither  hunger  nor  thirst 
but  only  great  fear  and  terror  ;  but  when  nature  began  to 
crave  within  me,  and  I  looked  to  see  if  I  could  get  at  my 
water  vessels,  I  perceived  that  they  had  been  washed  away 
in  the  night,  for  I  had  taken  no  precaution  to  lash  them  to 
the  raft  for  safety.  And  also  I  noticed  that  my  deck  of 
rushes  was  clean  gone  and  my  outriggers  broken.  My  only 
comfort  was  that  the  bonds  of  my  raft  still,  for  the  most 
part  held  good,  though  the  straining  of  the  timbers  had 
loosened  them,  and  it  was  clear  they  could  support  the  rub- 
bing of  the  logs  and  the  wrenching  of  them  but  a  little 
longer.  I  saw  that  if  one  or  two  at  the  end  went,  then  all 
must  go  ;  therefore,  as  I  crouched  between  the  masts  I 
watched  these  bonds  as  a  man  may  watch  the  preparing  of 
a  gallows  from  which  he  is  in  the  end  to  be  swung  off  into 
eternity.  And  after  my  raft  had  been  shot  down  into  a 
great  hollow,  and  thence  rising  up,  met  the  fearful  buffet 
of  another  huge  wave,  I  saw  that  the  end  liana  was  burst 
asunder.  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  !  "  says  I  again,  and 
with  the  greater  earnestness  that  I  felt  I  might  the  next 
moment  be  in  his  presence. 

At  this  moment,  above  the  bustle  and  rush  of  the  waves 
and  wind,  I  heard  a  report  like  the  firing  of  a  small  piece 
of  ordnance,  and,  casting  my  eye  in  that  direction,  I  saw, 
to  my  great  amazement,  a  great  ship  bearing  down  upon 
me,  and  not  two  fathoms  off.  And  that  noise  I  heard  was 
made  by  the  splitting  of  her  topmast  and  its  striking  the 
side  of  the  vessel  as  it  fell.  Scarce  had  I  seen  this  when 
the  ship,  riding  down  on  the  wave,  ground  its  foreside 
against  the  end  of  my  raft,  and  the  next  instant  I  found 
myself  entangled  in  the  wreck  of  the  broken  mast  with  its 
yard,  which  still  hung  to  the  ship  by  its  cordage.  Some  of 
this  cordage  passing  right  athwart  me,  I  sprang  up  and 
clasped  it ;  then,  though  as  how  I  can  not  tell,  but  as  I  best 


66  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

might,  I  climbed  like  any  monkey  upwards,  getting  no  more 
than  a  dozen  or  so  good  thumps  against  the  ship's  side,  and 
knocking  the  skin  off  my  knuckles,  by  the  way,  until  I  got 
my  head  above  the  bulwarks,  where  already  two  stout  sea- 
men were  severing  the  wreck  from  the  cordage  with  hat- 
chets. When  these  two  saw  me  rise  as  it  were  out  of  the 
grave  over  the  bulwarks,  I  say,  they  were  stricken  with 
greater  terror  than  the  fury  of  the  tempest  had  inspired, 
and  fell  back  from  their  business  with  gaping  mouths  and 
starting  eyes  ;  but  as  I  tumbled  over  the  side  and  threw 
myself  on  the  deck,  they  perceived  I  was  no  ghost,  but 
only  a  poor  shipwrecked  wretch,  they  picked  me  up  and 
bore  me  into  the  round-house  to  their  captain,  for  I  had 
no  power  even  to  stand,  being  quite  spent  with  my  exer- 
tion and  trouble  of  mind. 

The  captain  spoke  to  me,  but  I  could  not  understand 
him,  for,  as  I  afterwards  found,  he  was  from  Holland  and 
spoke  Dutch,  and  I  spoke  to  him  with  no  better  effect,  for 
he  knew  no  word  of  English.  Nor  did  any  man  on  that 
ship  speak  anything  but  Dutch,  or  understand  our  tongue. 
I  tried  to  make  him  comprehend  by  signs  that  I  ventured 
to  sea  on  two  logs,  but  he  could  make  nothing  of  me  till 
we  got  to  Schiedam  (which  we  did,  thanks  be  to  God,  in  a 
little  over  eight  weeks),  where  was  a  man  who  spoke 
English. 

The  captain  was  very  humane  and  kind  to  me,  and  for 
my  serving  him  on  the  voyage,  which  I  did  to  the  best  of 
my  ability  and  cheerfully,  he  paid  me  at  the  same  rate  he 
paid  his  other  seamen,  besides  giving  me  a  decent  suit  of 
clothes,  of  which  I  stood  much  in  need.  Through  this  good 
man's  generosity  was  I  enabled  to  pay  my  passage  in  a  gal- 
liot to  Yarmouth  in  England,  where,  by  the  good  help  of 
Providence,  I  arrived  full  safe  and  sound. 

And  there  had  I  yet  some  pieces  to  spare  for  my  susten- 
ance and  to  help  me  onward  to  Falmouth. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  67 

CHAPTER  XII. 

LADY   BIDDY   GIVES   ME    A    WORD    OF   COMFORT. 

I  REACHED  Fane  Court  eighteen  months,  as  near  as 
may  be,  from  the  time  our  first  unhappy  expedition 
set  out. 

When  I  asked  for  Sir  Bartlemy,  the  hall  servant,  seeing 
me  all  dusty  with  travel  and  out  at  the  heel,  told  me  I 
must  bide  my  time,  as  the  knight  and  Lady  Biddy  Fane 
were  at  dinner. 

"  No  matter  for  that,"  says  I ;  "  tell  him  his  nephew, 
Benet  Pengilly,  is  here,  and  I  warrant  you  will  fare  better 
than  if  you  kept  him  waiting  for  the  news." 

The  fellow  started  in  amaze  hearing  my  name,  which 
was  better  known  to  him  than  my  face,  and  went  without  a 
word  to  carry  the  tidings  of  my  return  to  Sir  Bartlemy. 
Almost  immediately,  afterwards  my  uncle  came  out  into 
the  hall,  and  as  quickly  after  him  Lady  Biddy — Sir  Bart- 
lemy as  hale  and  hearty  as  ever,  and  Lady  Biddy,  to  my 
eyes,  more  beautiful  than  before  ;  but  both  pale  and  greatly 
amazed  in  countenance. 

"  Benet ! "  gasps  the  old  knight,  and  that  was  all  he 
could  say.  But  he  held  out  his  hand,  which  I  took  and 
pressed  with  great  love,  for  my  feelings  were  much  soft- 
ened by  hardship,  and  I  was  grieved  to  think  of  the 
pain  I  was  to  give  him  instead  of  the  joyful  news  he 
looked  for.  Lady  Biddy  stepped  forward,  and  her  face 
lighting  up  with  hope,  she  looked  for  the  moment  as  if 
she  also  might  be  kind  to  me,  and  welcome  me  for  the 
sake  of  her  lover.  But  of  a  sudden  she  checked  herself, 
seeing  my  downcast  complexion,  and  bating  -her  breath, 
she  says  : 

"  Where  is  he  ?    Where  are  the  rest  ?  " 

Then  says  I,  with  as  much  courage  as  I  could  muster, 
but  with  pain  that  went  to  my  heart — 

"  I  am  the  only  man  who  has  come  back."  And  with 
that  I  hung  my  head,  not  to  see  their  grief. 

"  He  is  not  dead — they  are  not  all  lost !"  I  heard  her 
say,  in  a  tone  that  seemed  mingled  with,  a  silent  prayer  to 
merciful  God. 


68  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  No,"  says  I  ;  "  Sir  Harry  is  not  dead.  I  left  him  out 
there  in  Guiana  ;  but  for  the  rest,  if  they  be  lost,  'tis  their 
just  reward." 

Then  Lady  Biddy  burst  into  tears  to  know  that  her  lover 
lived,  and  Sir  Bartlemy,  taking  her  by  the  arm  and  me  by 
mine,  led  us  into  the  dining-hall  without  speaking. 

By  this  time,  Lady  Biddy's  emotion  being  passed,  and  her 
pride  returning,  she  took  her  arm  from  her  uncle's,  as  if  she 
would  not  accept  of  kindness  that  was  equally  bestowed  on 
such  as  I. 

"  Sit  ye  down  there,  Benet,"  says  my  uncle,  pushing  me 
to  a  seat  ;  "  and  now  tell  us  all  as  briefly  as  you  may  ;  for 
I  perceive  that  the  case  is  bad  (with  a  plague  to  it !)  though 
Harry  live  (God  be  thanked!) ;  and  if  there  be  a  tooth  to 
come  out,  the  quicker  it's  done  the  better.'' 

Then  I  told  the  bare  truth  :  how  Rodrigues  and  Ned 
Parsons  had  led  the  crew  astray  and  set  us  ashore,  and  the 
means  of  my  coming  again  to  England,  in  as  few  words  as 
I  could  shift  with.  When  I  had  made  an  end  of  this,  Lady 
Biddy  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Why  did  not  Sir  Harry  come  back  with  you  ?  "  says  she. 

"  He  scorns  to  come  back  a  beggar,"  says  I.  "He  will 
never  return  to  England  until  he  can  repay  his  obligations 
to  Sir  Bartlemy  and  ask  you  to  be  his  wife." 

This  gave  her  great  joy,  admiring  in  him  that  quality  of 
pride  which  she  cherished  in  herself,  so  that  her  eyes 
sparkled  again,  and  her  fair  bosom  swelled  with  a  sigh  of 
satisfaction.  Presently  she  turned  again  upon  me,  her 
pretty  lips  curved  with  disdain,  and  says  she: 

"  And  you  left  him  there  in  that  desert  alone  !  Content 
to  save  your  own  life,  you  abandoned  him  to  hopeless  soli- 
tude. Oh,  that  I  had  been  a  man  in  your  place  !  " 

I  hung  my  head  again  in  silence,  feeling  it  were  better  to 
bear  her  reproach  than  to  attempt  an  excuse  ;  for  I  could 
not  trust  my  tongue  to  reveal  the  main  reason  of  my  escap- 
ing, for  fear  I  should  betray  his  intention  of  turning  pirate  ; 
and  this,  for  the  love  I  bore  them,  I  was  resolved  to  keep 
secret. 

"  Nay,"  says  Sir  Bartlemy,  coming  to  my  help,  but  with 
no  great  enthusiasm  neither  ;  "  never  beat  the  dog  that 
comes  home."  He  paused,  and  I  could  fancy  his  adding  to 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  69 

himself,  "  Curse  him,  for  a  mean-spirited  hound,  all  the 
same  !  "  Then  he  continues,  in  a  more  hopeful  tone,  "  If 
he  had  not  come  home,  how  could  we  have  known  of 
Harry's  peril  ?  Come,  Benet ;  tell  me  that  in  coming  hither 
you  hoped  to  get  succor  for  Harry." 

"  You  might  believe  that,"  says  I,  "  of  a  man  with  less 
heart  than  you  credit  me  withal.  I  came  to  beg  for  help 
because  Sir  Harry  was  too  proud  to  beg  it  himself." 

"  I  knew  as  much,"  says  he,  taking  my  hand  and  shak- 
ing it  heartily.  Then  turning  to  my  Lady  Biddy,  "  And 
now,  my  dear,  what's  to  do  ?  I  have  no  money,  and  an  ex- 
pense I  must  be  to  you  all  the  days  that  I  live,  now  that  my 
all  is  lost,  with  a  pox  to  those  rascals  that  robbed  me  ! 
But  you  of  your  plenty  will  charter  a  ship  to  go  out  and 
fetch  this  poor  man  ?" 

"  More  than  that  must  be  done,"  says  I.  "  He  will  only 
accept  such  help  as  will  enable  him  to  recover  all  he  has 
lost." 

There  was  approval  in  Lady  Biddy's  looks  when  I  said  this. 

"  Odds  my  life  !  he's  in  the  right  of  it,"  cries  Sir  Bart- 
lemy,  bumping  the  table  with  his  fist.  "  Plague  take  me 
if  ever  I'd  come  sneaking  home  with  my  tail  twixt  my  legs 
like  a  whipped  cur  that  has  neither  the  stomach  to  bite  nor 
to  keep  away  from  his  sop.  I  mean  nothing  ill  with  regard 
to  you,  Benet,"  he  adds,  turning  about  to  me,  "  for  I  hold 
you  have  done  the  part  of  a  true  friend  and  a  good,  and 
have  shown  more  courage  and  high  spirit  in  this  matter  than 
many  another.  Well,  what's  to  do,  girl,  eh  ? " — turning 
now  to  Lady  Biddy,  and  rubbing  his  thighs  with  his  broad 
hands  cheerily. 

Lady  Biddy,  with  not  less  eagerness  in  her  manner, 
looked  to  me,  and  nodded  that  I  should  speak  all  that  was 
in  my  mind. 

"  As  much  must  be  found  as  has  been  lost,"  says  I. 
"  For  nothing  less  in  men  or  treasure  will  suffice  Sir  Harry 
to  reach  Manoa.  And  with  that  it  is  a  venture,  and  naught 
can  be  done  without  God's  good  help,  for  never  man  saw  a 
country  so  difficult  to  penetrate  or  such  currents  of  rivers 
to  mount.  And  first,  money  must  be  raised." 

"  Money  shall  not  lack.  I  will  venture  my  fortune  to  the 
last  piece,"  says  Lady  Biddy. 


7°  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  Ay,  and  so  would  I,  if  I  had  aught  to  lose,"  cried  Sir 
Bartlemy.  "  But  you,  my  girl,  may  well  spare  enough  for 
this  venture,  and  yet  have  as  much  to  lay  by  for  another, 
if  that  fail." 

"  No  time  must  be  lost,"  says  I. 

"  Not  a  moment,"  cries  Lady  Biddy,  starting  up  as  if  she 
had  but  to  fetch  money  from  "her  strong  chest  to  accom- 
plish all.  "  You  must  see  about  ships  and  men  at  once, 
uncle." 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "but  who  is  to  command  them,  and  carry 
help  to  your  sweetheart  in  Guiana  ?  " 

Lady  Biddy  looked  at  him,  and  he  at  her,  wetting  his  lips, 
as  one  with  a  dainty  dish  set  before  him  that  he  would 
fain  eat  of. 

"  I'm  an  old  fellow,  but  there's  life  in  me  yet  :  there's 
vigor — there's  manhood,"  says  he  ;  "  and  if  I  decay  'twill 
be  only  for  want  of  use.  And  I  know  the  seas  as  well  as 
any  man,  and  I  warrant  me  no  crew  of  mine  should  take 
my  ship  from  me,  as  from  this  poor  lad,  who  put  too  great 
faith  in  the  honesty  of  seamen.  I  dream  o*  nights  of  ocean 
seas ;  and  feather-beds  I  do  hate  more  than  any  man 
can — " 

"  Then  why  should  not  you  command  this  expedition  ? " 
says  Lady  Biddy. 

He  tried  to  look  astonished  at  this  design  ;  then  putting 
his  beard  betwixt  his  fingers  and  thumb,  and  shaking  his 
head  doubtfully,  he  tried  to  look  grave,  but  his  merry  eye 
twinkled  with  delight  at  this  notion.  Yet  presently  his 
chap  fell,  and  he  looked  truly  serious. 

"  My  dear,"  said  he,  "  what  am  I  to  do  with  you  ?  I 
can  not  leave  a  young  girl  alone  in  this  place,  and  you  have 
no  relative  but  me,  nor  any  steadfast  friend  to  whom  I  may 
confide  you,  and  a  scurvy  to  it.  Lord  !  I'd  have  done  it, 
but  for  this  plaguy  obstacle." 

Then  Lady  Biddy,  as  mad  as  he  and  as  fond,  cries  : 

"  Do  you  think  I  will  be  left  at  home  to  mope,  as  I  have 
in  these  past  months  ?  Nay — where  my  fortune  goes,  there 
go  I  also." 

"And  why  not?"  cries  my  uncle,  banging  the  table 
again.  "  Was  there  ere  a  better  governor  than  Queen 
Bess,  and  she  was  a  woman  ?  And  no  queen  that  ever 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  ^r 

lived  had  a  higher  spirit  or  a  braver  heart  than  thou,  my 
dear  !  Kiss  me,  for  I  love  you.  Now  go  fetch  the  chart 
from  my  closet.  Benet"  (turning  to  me),  "  you  shall  go 
with  me  and  be  my  counsel  (as  much  as  you  may,  being 
but  a  poor  sailor,  I  take  it).  We'll  set  to  this  at  once  ; 
ships  must  be  bought  and  men  got — honest  men — and  none 
of  your  rascals  who  have  come  home  with  gold,  and  tell  of 
getting  it  from  the  Ingas."  In  this  way  he  ran  on,  till  Lady 
Biddy  came  in  bringing  the  chart ;  and  a  very  good  chart 
it  was,  so  that  I  had  no  difficulty  in  pointing  out  the  island 
where  we  had  been  set  ashore,  as  I  have  said. 

Then  did  this  uncle  and  niece  lay  out  their  plans  gleefully 
as  any  children  designing  a  holiday  jaunt — reckoning  noth- 
ing of  the  perils  and  terrors  that  I  knew  lay  before  us. 
But  this  sanguine  temper  was  of  that  family's  nature. 
And  beautiful  it  was  to  see  that  graceful,  lovely  girl  leaning 
over  beside  the  old  knight,  following  the  course  he  laid 
down  on  the  card — her  face  all  aglow  with  eager  hope  and 
love,  her  eyes  sparkling,  and  her  rich,  ruddy  lips  sweetly 
curved  in  a  smile  about  her  little  white  teeth. 

I  know  not  how  it  came  about — whether  it  was  the  pang 
which  shot  through  my  heart  as  I  reflected  that  this  adora- 
ble creature  was  for  another  and  not  for  me — that  for  his 
sake  was  she  hazarding  her  fortune  and  life,  while,  if  she 
thought  of  me,  it  was  but  with  scorn  ;  or  whether  my  body 
was  exhausted  by  the  fatigue  it  had  endured  in  hastening 
hither  and  my  long  fast  (I  had  walked  all  night  and  eaten 
nothing  but  scraps  of  cow-salad  torn  from  the  banks),  I 
cannot  say ;  only  this  I  know  that,  while  I  sat  there  watch- 
ing that  sweet  girl,  a  great  sickness  and  faintness  came 
upon  me,  so  that  I  had  to  rise  and  go  to  the  window  for 
air. 

Then  Sir  Bartlemy  spying  me,  and  how  my  face  was 
white  and  the  cold  sweat  standing  in  beads  on  my  brow, 
perceived  that  I  was  sick.  So  he  brought  me  a  mug  of  ale 
and  some  meat,  which  was  his  remedy  for  all  ills.  But 
what  did  comfort  more  than  these  victuals  was  the  kindness 
that  filled  Lady  Biddy's  heart  when  she  saw  my  case.  No 
angel  could  have  been  more  tender.  And  while  this  mood 
was  yet  upon  her,  she  said  in  my  ear : 

"  Benet,  I  did  you  wrong  in  my  too  great  haste  ;  for  I 


72  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

see  now  that  you  have  served  him  with  great  love,  and  I 
must  love  you  for  so  loving  him." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE    CROSSED    HEART. 

WHEN  two  impetuous  streams  join  and  flow  together, 
their  course  must  needs  be  swift — whether  to  flow 
into  the  sweet  and  happy  valley,  or  into  the  dark  and 
horrid  gulf.  Thus  while  my  uncle  occupied  himself  in  one 
matter,  Lady  Biddy  busied  herself  in  another,  and  both  to 
the  equipment  of  this  new  expedition  ;  so  that  in  an  incredi- 
ble short  space  of  time  all  provision  was  achieved,  and  we 
were  ready  to  set  out. 

First  there  were  ships  to  be  procured,  and  seamen  to 
serve  them.  For  better  choice,  Sir  Bartlemy  journeyed 
over  to  Portsmouth,  taking  me  with  him,  and  a  well-stuffed 
purse,  together  with  a  dozen  lusty  servants  for  our  safe 
escort  through  those  lawless  and  dangerous  parts  which  lay 
betwixt  Truro  and  Exeter,  where  no  man  rides  safe. 

Being  come  without  mishap  to  Portsmouth,  Sir  Bartlemy 
went  to  an  old  acquaintance  of  his,  a  broker  and  a  very 
honest  man,  and  with  him  we  went  and  examined  all  those 
ships  that  were  to  sell,  choosing  in  the  end  two  that  were 
after  his  heart ;  excellent  fair  ships  too,  sound  and  swift, 
that  had  sailed  the  seas,  one  two  years  and  the  other  four  ; 
for  Sir  Bartlemy  would  have  no  new  ships,  but  only  such 
as  had  stood  the  test  of  tempest,  and  were  fully  seasoned. 

While  this  was  a-doing  I  made  a  discovery  which  gave 
me  no  little  concern.  The  broker  would  have  us  look  at  a 
French  ship,  albeit  Sir  Bartlemy  declared  he  would  trust 
himself  in  no  timbers  that  had  not  grown  in  England  ; 
however,  to  humor  him,  we  went  to  the  side  of  the  harbor 
where  she  lay.  But  at  the  first  sight  of  her  my  uncle 
turned  up  his  nose,  and  began  to  find  a  hundred  faults, 
finally  declaring  that  nothing  good  ever  came  out  of 
France  save  her  wines,  and  that  it  would  be  time  better 
spent  to  drink  a  pint  of  Bordeaux  than  to  go  further  with 
the  examination  of  such  a  cursed  piece  of  shipbuilding. 


TtiE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  T> 

With  that  he  invited  the  broker  to  crack  a  bottle  in  an  ad. 
jacent  tavern,  which  they  did  without  further  ado.  But 
something  in  the  look  of  this  ship  arousing  my  curiosity,  I 
feigned  to  have  no  liking  for  wine,  and  getting  the  broker's 
leave  to  visit  the  ship,  I  hired  a  wherry  and  was  carried  to 
her. 

La  Belle  Esperance  was  her  name,  and  she  was  painted 
quite  fresh  in  very  lively  colors,  after  the  sort  of  French 
ships  ;  but  for  all  that  when  I  got  on  board  my  suspicions 
were  stronger  than  ever ;  for  the  make  of  the  ship  (being 
little  altered)  was,  as  I  may  say,  familiar  to  me.  And 
straight  I  went  into  the  coach,  and  so  to  the  little  cabin  on 
the  larboard  side,  and  there  on  a  certain  timber  I  sought 
and  found  this  mark,  cut  deep  in  the  wood  : 


Then  I  knew  beyond  doubt  that  this  ship,  despite  its  new 
name  and  fresh  paint,  was  none  other  than  the  Sure  Hawk. 
For  this  crossed  heart  was  my  cipher  (making  the  letters 
B.  P.  after  a  fashion  if  looked  at  sidelong)  which  I  had  en- 
graved with  my  own  hand  and  of  my  own  invention. 

I  needed  no  further  proof,  but,  being  greatly  troubled, 
went  straightway  ashore.  And  there  finding  occasion  to 
speak  privately  with  the  broker,  I  questioned  him  con- 
cerning this  ship :  how  long  she  had  lain  at  Ports- 
mouth, etc. 

"Why,  sir,"  says  he,  very  civilly,  "she  has  been  here 
three  weeks,  and  no  more.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  she  was  a 
French  pirate,  though  I  said  nothing  of  that  matter  to  Sir 
Bartlemy  to  add  to  his  prejudice.  But  she  is  a  good  ship, 
and  was  taken  by  some  honest  Englishmen  trading  in 
spices." 

"  And  what  was  the  name  of  their  ship  who  took  this  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  That  I  cannot  tell  you,"  he  replies,  "  for  their  ship  was 


74  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

so  disabled  in  the  fight  that  they  had  to  abandon  her  and 
come  home  in  this." 

"  Do  you  know  these  men  or  their  captain  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  for  they  were  of  Hull  ;  but  I  believe  the  cap- 
tain's name  was  Adams,  for  I  heard  of  him  yesterday." 

"In  what  respect? " 

"  It  was  in  this  wise.  He  bought  a  new  ship  of  a  brother 
broker  here — the  French  vessel  being  not  to  his  taste,  nor 
big  enough  for  his  purpose — and  sailed  it  hence  to  fit  out 
and  victual  at  Hull,  where  his  crew  would  fain  see  their 
friends  ;  and  to  Hull  we  thought  he  had  gone.  But  my 
friend  having  necessity  to  go  to  St.  Ives,  in  Cornwall,  did 
there  see  this  very  ship,  and  Captain  Adams  with  his  men 
ashore,  all  drunk  as  any  fiddlers ;  which  amazed  him,  so 
that  he  spoke  of  it  as  a  thing  not  to  be  understood." 

But  I  understood  this  well  enough,  and  therefore  I  laid 
the  whole  matter  before  my  uncle,  and  would  have  had  him 
go  with  me  to  St.  Ives,  where  I  doubted  not  but  we  should 
find  Captain  Adams  to  be  Rodrigues,  and  so  lay  him  and 
his  rascally  crew  by  the  heels,  besides  seizing  his  ship  for 
our  redress. 

But  my  uncle  would  not  agree  to  this. 

"  For,"  says  he,  "  in  the  first  place,  it  is  a  tedious  busi- 
ness to  stir  the  Admiralty  to  our  profit,  and  in  that  time 
this  Rodrigues — curse  his  bones  ! — may  get  wind  of  our 
intent  and  slip  through  our  fingers  ;  and,  secondly,  I  hold 
it  best  not  to  stir  up  a  sleeping  dog,  but  to  get  on  while  one 
is  safe.  Added  to  which,  every  moment's  delay  is  as  much 
as  a  year  of  suffering  to  Harry." 

To  this  I  could  make  no  objection,  so  I  agreed  to  keep 
what  I  knew  secret.  But  I  perceived  full  well  that  my 
uncle,  had  he  not  openly  expressed  to  his  friend  such  con- 
tempt for  the  French  ship  (as  he  thought  her)  would  have 
let  Sir  Harry  wait  until  he  had  proved  her  to  be  the  Sure 
Hawk  and  brought  Rodrigues  to  justice,  for  he  was  very 
revengeful  when  roused,  and  full  of  hatred  for  the  man  who 
cheated  him  ;  but  because  he  feared  ridicule — having  con- 
demned that  for  worthless  which  but  twelve  months  before 
he  had  bought  for  the  best  ship  ever  built — he  would  do 
nothing.  For  which  weakness,  God  knows,  he  was  fully 
punished  in  the  end. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  75 

Our  business  being  brought  to  an  end  at  Portsmouth,  we 
sailed  our  new  ships  into  Falmouth  Haven  ;  and  their 
names  were  the  Sea  Lion  and  the  Faithful  Friend.  And 
here  were  piles  of  merchandise  waiting  to  be  shipped,  for 
Lady  Biddy  Fane  had  faithfully  bought  and  prepared  every 
sort  of  thing  in  just  proportion  as  before  our  going  Sir 
Bartlemy  had  set  down  an  inventory  ;  and  none  but  a  capa- 
ble woman  of  stout  purpose  and  strong  heart  could  have 
done  so  much. 

To  work  went  all  to  get  this  store  aboard — the  very 
house  servants  being  pressed  into  service  (such  as  they 
could  compass),  under  the  direction  of  Lady  Biddy  ;  yet 
could  not  all  be  done  in  a  day,  nor  much  less  than  three 
weeks,  and  no  time  lost. 

All  this  time  my  mind  was  exceedingly  uneasy,  less 
Rodrigues  should  hear  of  our  expedition,  and  seek  to  do 
us  harm.  And  with  this  dread  I  made  inquiries  (privately) 
if  during  my  absence  any  one  had  called  to  see  me,  and  I 
found  no  one  had  asked  for  me.  Then  I  felt  sure  that 
Rodrigues  or  Parsons  and  his  men  were  at  Penzance,  and 
none  others  but  they.  For  otherwise  to  a  certainty  the 
wives  and  sweethearts  of  those  men  drawn  from  Penny- 
come-quick  and  Truro  to  our  first  venture,  hearing  as  they 
must  of  my  return,  would  have  sought  me  for  tidings  of 
them.  And  if  they  were  in  communication  with  those  men, 
then  must  our  enemies  know  that  I  had  come  back,  and 
that  another  expedition  was  fitting  out.  I  knew  the  nature 
of  Rodrigues — subtile  and  daring  wretch  ! — merciless  in 
the  pursuit  of  plunder,  and  bloody  as  those  beasts  of  prey 
which  will  kill,  though  they  be  too  surfeited  to  eat,  their 
quarry. 

At  length  all  was  ready  for  our  departure.  Lady  Biddy 
having  paid  off  all  her  servants  (save  a  good  wench  whom 
she  took  with  her)  sent  her  plate  and  treasures  to  a  silver- 
smith in  Exeter  ;  and  so,  to  cut  this  matter  short,  put  her 
estate  in  the  hands  of  a  trusty  steward,  and.  bade  farewell 
to  her  friends.  We  all  got  on  board  :  my  uncle  and  Lady 
Biddy  in  the  Faithful  Friend,  which  was  the  larger  and 
better  ship  of  the  two,  and  I  in  the  Sea  Lion.  For  though 
Sir  Bartlemy  would  have  had  me  with  him,  and  Lady  Biddy 
said  nothing  to  discourage  me  therefrom,  yet  did  I  feel 


7<5  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

that  it  would  be  better  that  I  should  not  see  her,  fearing 
her  beauty  might  stir  up  the  passion  in  my  breast,  and  lead 
me  again  into  evil  thoughts. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  breeze  proving  prosperous 
the  next  morning  we  should  depart  at  break  of  day  ;  and 
license  was  given  to  the  crew  to  make  merry  on  board  till 
ten  o'clock,  that  they  might  start  with  a  cheerful  heart. 

Now  while  the  men  were  rejoicing  after  the  fashion  of 
mariners,  there  comes  a  wherry  alongside  with  a  woman  in 
it ;  and  this  woman  cries  out  to  know  if  Jack  Stone  is 
aboard  that  ship  or  the  Faithful  Friend.  There  was  no 
man  of  our  crew  with  that  name  ;  but  this  woman  being 
comely  and  buxom,  with  a  merry  face,  the  men  did  pretend 
that  Jack  Stone  was  aboard,  but  too  drunk  to  stir  ;  and 
with  that  they  asked  her  to  come  up  and  give  him  a  kiss  for 
farewell. 

"  Why,"  says  she,  coming  up  the  side  without  more  ado, 
"  do  you  start  so  soon  ?  Jack  told  me  yesterday  you  did 
not  set  out  for  a  week." 

"  We  sail  at  daybreak,  sweetheart,"  says  the  gunner,  tak- 
ing her  about  the  waist. 

And  this  was  what  she  had  come  to  learn,  as  I  feel  con- 
vinced ;  for  as  soon  as  she  had  heard  as  much  as  was  to  be 
pumped  out  of  these  fuddled  fellows,  she  left  them,  and  was 
rowed  ashore,  never  having  again  asked  after  the  man  she 
called  Jack  Stone. 

The  purser  being  a  sober  man,  I  asked  him  if  he  knew 
the  woman,  and  he  told  me  he  knew  her  well  fora  Penzance 
woman. 

"  Then,"  thinks  I,  "  Rodrigues  has  brought  his  ship 
round  to  be  near  us,  and  he  has  sent  this  woman  for  a  spy. 
From  Penzance  she  has  come  on  this  mission,  and  to  Penz- 
ance she  has  returned  ;  and  so  God  help  us." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  77 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

WE  ARE  DOGGED  BY  A  BLACK  SHIP,  TO    THE  GREAT  DISCOM- 
FORT OF  OUR    COMPANIES. 

WE  set  sail  at  daybreak  with  a  fair  breeze,  and  if  this 
had  held  on,  then  had  we  got  safely  on  our  way,  es- 
caping all  danger  from  our  enemy  ;  but  being  only  a 
land  wind,  such  as  frequently  blows  towards  the  sun  at  its 
rising,  we  found  ourselves  an  hour  after  clearing  Falmouth 
Haven  in  a  little  chopping  gale,  where  we  had  much  ado, 
by  tacking  this  way  and  that,  to  make  any  progress  at  all, 
to  our  misfortune.  While  we  were  thus  pottering  to  and 
fro,  a  sail  appeared  coming  down  the  Channel,  whereupon, 
my  fears  being  that  way  disposed,  I  took  into  my  head  at 
once  that  this  was  Rodrigues'  ship  from  Penzance,  there 
having  been  ample  time  during  the  night  for  the  wench  who 
had  come  aboard  to  take  him  intelligence  of  our  intent  to 
sail.  Then  I  begged  Captain  Wilkins,  an  excellent  good 
man  as  ever  lived,  to  let  me  have  the  ship's  barge  that  I  might 
go  speak  with  my  uncle  ;  to  which  request  he  acceded  in- 
stantly, and  the  barge  being  lowered  and  manned  I  was 
carried  to  the  Faithful  Friend.  Here,  taking  my  uncle 
aside,  I  laid  out  all  that  had  happened  the  night  before, 
and  pointing  to  the  sail  bearing  down  towards  us,  I  gave 
him  my  apprehensions,  begging  he  would  put  back  into 
Falmouth  Haven  while  we  yet  might.  But  this  would  he 
not  do. 

"  What  !  "  says  he,  "  put  back  because  a  sail  is  in  sight ! 
Why,  at  that  rate  might  we  never  get  out  of  Falmouth. 
Never  yet  did  I  put  back,  for  I  couet  it  the  unluckiest  thing 
a  seaman  may  do  ;  and  in  this  case  'twere  nothing  short  of 
folly  and  rank  cowardice  ;  for  our  foe,  if  foe  he  be,  is  but 
one,  and  we  be  two.  You  have  done  your  duty,  Benet,  and 
therefore  I  do  not  scold  you  for  doubting  my  mettle,  your 
own  being  much  softened  no  doubt  by  hardship  and  suffer- 
ing, Lord  help  you  !  But  go  back  at  once  to  your  ship,  I 
prithee,  and  bid  Master  Wilkins  look  to  his  armament,  be 
sober  and  prayerful,  and  hold  himself  ready  to  lay  on  to  an 
enemy." 

With  this  comfort  I  returned  to  the  Sea  Lion^  and  telling 


7$  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Captain  Wilkins  my  fears  and  my  uncle's  decision,  he  lost 
no  time  in  charging  the  guns  and  setting  out  muskets, 
swords,  and  brown  bills  ready  to  every  hand.  Likewise  he 
mustered  the  crew  when  all  had  been  prepared,  and  gave 
them  out  a  very  good  prayer,  at  the  same  time  bidding  the 
men  trust  to  their  own  defense  as  well  as  the  mercy  of 
Providence  (should  we  be  presently  attacked)  and  give  no 
quarter.  To  this  address  would  Sir  Bartlemy  have  added 
a  hearty  "  amen  "  had  he  been  present,  for  it  was  just  after 
his  own  sturdy  heart. 

The  strange  sail  bore  down  to  within  half  a  mile  of  us, 
being  a  swifter  ship  than  either  of  ours,  and  making  way 
where  we  could  none,  etc.;  and  then  she  held  off  on  a  tack 
and  came  no  nearer.  And  though  she  showed  no  guns,  yet 
could  we  see  she  was  a  powerful  ship,  and  such  as,  for  the 
value  of  her,  would  not  venture  abroad  in  these  trouble- 
some times  without  good  arms. 

About  noon  the  breeze  grew  stronger  and  more  steady, 
and  so  continued  that  by  sundown  we  had  made  in  all 
twelve  sea  leagues.  All  this  time  had  the  strange  sail  fol- 
lowed in  our  wake,  standing  off  never  much  over  half  a  mile. 
Then  Captain  Wilkins  and  all  on  board  were  convinced  that 
this  was  an  enemy  seeking  to  injure  us,  and  it  seemed  that 
Sir  Bartlemy  was  equally  of  our  way  of  thinking,  for  by 
means  of  his  signals  he  bade  us  double  our  watch,  keep  our 
lamps  well  trimmed,  and  hold  close  to  him.  And  this  we 
did,  no  man  taking  off  his  clothes,  but  every  one  who  lay 
down  having  his  arms  ready  to  his  hand.  For  my  own  part 
I  quitted  not  the  deck  all  that  night  ;  nor  could  I  take  my 
eyes  from  the  lights  on  board  the  Faithful  Friend  two  min- 
utes together  for  thinking  of  the  dear  girl  who  lay  there,  and 
whose  life  and  honor  were  in  our;  keeping. 

We  could  see  no  lights  in  our  track  at  all  during  the  night, 
whereby  we  hoped  that  our  enemy — as  I  may  call  her — see- 
ing not  ours,  had  fallen  away  in  the  darkness  ;  but  when 
day  broke  we  perceived  her  still  following  us,  and  no  further 
away  than  ever,  so  that  we  knew  she  had  been  guided  by  our 
lamps,  and  had  lit  none  of  her  own.  In  short,  not  to  weary 
the  reader,  as  she  had  followed  us  that  night  and  the  day 
before,  so  she  clung  to  our  heels  for  four  days  and  nights 
after.  And  now  being  off  Portugal,  Sir  Bartlemy  might 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  1$ 

have  run  into  port ;  but  this  he  would  not  do  ;  for,  firstly, 
the  breeze  continued  all  this  time  fairly  prosperous  ;  and, 
secondly,  his  bold  and  stubborn  nature  would  not  permit 
him  to  swerve  from  his  course,  or  show  fear  of  any  one. 

By  this  time  our  company  began  to  murmur  because  they 
got  no  proper  rest  through  constant  watching,  and  because 
(though  they  feared  no  mortal  enemy)  they  began  to  look 
upon  this  pursuing  ship  as  a  thing  without  substance — an 
unearthly  sign  of  impending  destruction,  a  device  of  the  fiend 
— I  know  not  what,  for  seamen  are  ever  prodigiously  super- 
stitious and  easily  terrified  by  that  which  passes  their  com- 
prehension ;  and  it  strengthened  their  dread  that  this  ship 
was  painted  black  from  stem  to  stern.  Indeed,  to  a  mind 
reasonably  free  from  superstition,  there  was  something 
dreadful  and  terrific  in  this  great  black  ship  following  us 
with  so  great  perseverance,  which  put  me  in  mind  of  some 
carrion  bird  with  steadfast  patience  hovering  slowly  about 
wanderers  beleaguered  in  a  desert,  with  some  forecast  that 
in  the  end  one  must  fall  to  become  its  easy  prey. 

These  six  nights  did  I  get  no  rest ;  but  only  a  little  dog 
sleep  in  the  day  when  my  body  yielded  to  the  fatigue  of 
watching,  my  mind  being  quite  disordered  with  dreadful 
apprehensions  ;  for  well  I  knew  that  if  by  storm  we  got  sep- 
arated in  the  day,  or  by  accident  of  fog  or  such  like  lost 
each  other  in  the  night,  then  would  our  enemy  fall  upon  us 
one  after  the  other,  and  vanish  with  us  ;  which,  though  we 
fought  like  lions,  might  well  arrive,  seeing  she  was  so  much 
greater  than  either  of  us,  and  manned  with  a  greater  com- 
pany, as  I  could  descry  through  a  perspective.  My  own 
life  I  valued  not  ;  my  fear  was  all  lest  Lady  Biddy  should 
fall  a  prey  into  the  wicked  hands  of  that  bloody,  subtle 
Rodrigues.  What  could  that  dear,  sweet  creature  do  to  re- 
sist ?  What  fate  would  be  hers,  being  at  his  mercy  ?  These 
questions  did  provoke  fearful  answers  in  my  anxious  imagin- 
ation, to  my  inexpressible  torment. 

At  length,  on  the  seventh  day,  we  being  then,  as  Captain 
Wilkins  told  me,  off  the  coast  of  Morocco,  and  the  wind  fall- 
ing to  a  calm,  I  took  a  boat  and  rowed  to  my  uncle's  ship. 
And  when  I  got  aboard  I  found  the  company  there  in  not 
much  better  case  than  ours  on  the  Sea  Lion,  for  every  man 
had  a  sullen  and  unhappy  look  on  his  face,  and  from  time  to 


80  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

time  cast  his  eye  towards  the  black  ship  that  lay  behind  us, 
for  all  my  uncle  pacing  the  deck  did  rate  them  most  sound- 
ly for  not  going  quicker  about  the  business  he  set  them  ; 
swearing  at  them  like  a  heathen  Jew,  so  that  one,  not  know- 
ing his  kind  and  generous  heart,  had  thought  him  a  very 
tyrant. 

My  first  thought  was  of  Lady  Biddy,  and  casting  my  eye 
up  and  down  the  deck  to  see  if  her  fair  face  and  dainty 
figure  were  there,  my  limbs  shook  and  my  teeth  chattered 
together  with  the  intensity  of  my  desire.  But  she  was  no- 
where visible. 

"Well,  Benet,  what  the  plague  has  brought  you  from 
your  ship  ?  "  asks  my  uncle  roughly,  as  he  comes  to  my 
side.  "  What  do  you  fear,  that  you  are  spying  up  and 
down,  your  cheeks  pale,  and  your  lips  on  a  quiver  ? " 

"  Lady  Biddy,"  says  I,  with  a  thickness  in  my  voice,  "  is 
she  well  ? " 

"  Ay,  and  if  all  on  this  ship  were  as  stout  of  heart  I 
should  have  more  reason  to  be  grateful,"  says  he. 

"  Thank  God  she  is  well.  May  no  mischance  befall 
her  ! "  says  I  in  a  low  tone. 

"  And  what  mischance  may  befall  her  if  we  act  like  men 
in  her  defense  ?  " 

I  cast  my  eyes  towards  the  black  ship,  and  then  said  I 
to  my  uncle  : 

'•  Rodrigues  is  there,  I  know." 

"  You  shall  lend  me  your  spyglass,  for  I  think  you  have 
seen  him,  to  be  so  cock-sure." 

"  No,  sir,  I  have  not  seen  him  ;  but  I  am  sure  he  com- 
mands that  ship.  A  painter  is  known  by  his  workman- 
ship." 

"  I  know  nothing  of  painting  and  such  fiddle-faddle. 
Speak  straight  to  the  purpose,  man,"  says  my  uncle  with  a 
curse. 

"  Well,"  says  I,  "  no  man  but  Rodrigues  could  devise 
such  subtle,  devilish  means  for  our  destruction." 

"  In  this  holding  on  yet  holding  off,  I  see  nothing  but 
the  device  of  a  fool  or  a  coward,  be  he  Rodrigues  or 
another." 

"  He  is  neither  a  fool  nor  a  coward,"  says  I  ;  "he  values 
his  ship  and  his  men  too  high  to  attack  us  at  a  disadvant- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  8 1 

age.  He  knows,  as  well  as  you  do,  that  this  patient  fol- 
lowing, while  it  amuses  his  company  and  rests  them,  is 
fatiguing  ours,  and  sapping  the  foundation  of  their  courage." 

"  I  warrant  their  courage  will  return  to  the  dogs  with  the 
first  shot  that  is  fired." 

"  Then  may  it  be  too  late  ;  for,  you  may  be  sure  of  this, 
Rodrigues  will  not  fire  a  ball  until  he  is  sure  of  our  defeat," 
says  I. 

"  Sure  of  our  defeat !  And  pray  when  may  that  be  ? " 
asks  he,  firing  up  with  disdain. 

"  When  accident  helps  him  either  to  fall  in  with  his  com- 
rade Parsons,  or  by  our  getting  sundered  through  some 
mishap.  He  has  as  many  men  on  his  ship  (as  you  may 
plainly  see)  as  we  have  in  both  our  companies,  and  more. 
How  are  we  to  combat  him  singly  ?  " 

"  Why,  with  God's  help  and  our  own  good  arms,"  says 
he  sternly  ;  but  the  moment  after  that  he  turned  his  eyes 
towards  the  black  ship,  measuring  it ;  and  his  silence  pro- 
claimed that  he  could  not  overlook  his  peril.  Presently,  in 
a  more  subdued  tone,  he  says,  "  Well,  nephew,  I  doubt  not 
you  had  some  better  intention  than  to  damp  my  spirits  in 
•coming  here,  so  if  you  would  offer  any  advice,  out  with  it, 
for  the  love  of  God,  and  I  promise  I  will  listen  with  as 
much  patience  and  forbearance  as  I  may  command." 

"  Sir,''  says  I,  "  you  are  making  for  the  Canaries,  and 
there,  in  all  likelihood,  is  Parsons,  awaiting  the  coming  of 
his  confederate,  so  that  we  are,  as  it  were,  going  before  the 
tiger  into  the  lair  of  his  mate."  My  uncle  nodded  acqui- 
escence. "  Now,  if  I  might  advise,  I  would  have  you  alter 
your  course,  and  make  for  the  Windward  Isles,  and  so 
down  to  Guiana.  Then,  if  Rodrigues  does  also  alter  his 
course,  I  should  draw  upon  him  and  seek  so  to  disable  him 
with  a  shot  amidst  his  masts  as  he  should  be  disabled  from 
following  us  further." 

"  Now,  indeed,  do  you  talk  good  sense,  and  such  as  is 
after  my  heart,"  cries  he  joyfully.  "  This  will  I  do  at 
once  ;  so  go  you  back  and  bid  Wilkins  prepare  to  shape  his 
course  this  way." 

But  seeing  that  I  yet  lingered,  as  loth  to  depart,  he  claps 
me  on  the  shoulder  and  says,  "  What  else  would  you  have, 
Benet?" 


82  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  Why,  sir,"  says  I,  "  I  would  have  you  send  another 
with  your  message,  and  suffer  me  to  stay  here  in  his 
place." 

"  Why,  are  you  so  weak-kneed  as  that  ? "  says  he.  "  Well, 
'tis  in  the  nature  of  mice  to  be  timorous  ;  but  I  looked  for 
better  stuff  in  a  man  of  our  family." 

"  Nay,"  says  I  ;  "  if  I  feared  Rodrigues  I  should  not  ask 
to  stay  here,  for  'tis  this  ship  he  will  attack,  knowing,  as  he 
must,  by  our  sailing,  that  our  general  and  leader  is  here." 

"  Why,  that  is  true,"  says  he  ;  and  then  he  fell  into  a 
silence,  and  looked  at  me  keenly  to  divine  why  I  wished  to 
stay  there.  After  a  little  while,  marking  the  hot  blood  in 
my  face,  and  knowing  it  was  to  be  near  Lady  Biddy  that  I 
sought  this  change  of  ships,  he  put  his  hands  on  my 
shoulders,  and  says  he  very  kindly,  and  with  a  little  trem- 
bling of  pity  in  his  voice,  "  My  poor  Benet,  the  best  thing 
you  can  do  for  her  sake  is  to  go  back  to  your  ship  and  stay 
not  in  this.  Ay,  and  for  your  own  sake  it  were  better  too. 
The  enemy  you  have  to  overcome  is  the  passion  of  your 
own  breast,  which  is  more  capable  to  bring  ruin  to  your 
soul  and  sorrow  to  our  hearts  than  are  the  guns  of  Rodri- 
gues to  endanger  our  bodies.  Go  back,  dear  fellow." 

And  knowing  how  this  passion  had  before,  by  its  hope- 
lessness, brought  me  into  evil  ways  and  despair  of  better,  I 
accepted  his  guidance  and  went  back  to  my  ship,  though 
with  a  sore  heart. 

And  going  back  I  saw  my  lady  standing  in  the  stern  gal- 
lery of  the  Faithful  Friend.  But  she  did  not  see  me,  or, 
seeing  me,  made  no  sign  ;  for  why  should  she  trouble  to 
descry  whether  it  were  I  or  another  sitting  there  ?  And 
clasping  my  hands  together  I  prayed  God  (within  myself) 
to  dispose  of  her  to  her  own  happiness  and  His  praise. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  83 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WE    FALL   INTO   SORE   DISASTERS   OF   RAGING    TEMPEST    AND 
BLOODY    BATTLE. 

AS  soon  as  I  was  got  on  board  I  told  Captain  Wilkins  of 
our  generalissimo's  intention,  which  he  heard  with  much 
satisfaction,  and  did  straightway  communicate  with 
his  crew,  who  thereupon  set  up  a  great  cheer.  About  two 
o'clock,  the  breeze  freshening,  the  Faithful  Friend  changed 
her  course  and  we  with  her,  and  for  two  hours  we  ran  west, 
though  the  wind  had  been  more  prosperous  for  making 
south.  Yet  did  the  black  ship  follow  us  in  the  course 
persistently  as  in  the  other,  keeping  always  the  same  dis- 
tance in  our  wake.  Then  did  Sir  Bartlemy  signal  us  to 
open  all  our  ports  for  the  guns  to  play,  and  to  stand  every 
man  to  his  post,  which  we  did  very  cheerfully  and  as  smartly 
as  ever  the  company  on  the  Faithful  Friend  did.  And 
though  this  preparation  might  well  be  seen  from  the  black 
ship,  we  could  see  with  our  perspectives  no  such  prepara- 
tion on  her,  so  that  the  simple  would  have  have  conceived 
she  had  no  lower  ports  for  guns,  and  was  an  unarmed 
trader.  Then  Sir  Bartlemy  signaled  us  to  stand-to,  yet 
to  be  in  readiness  to  come  to  his  help  if  need  arose,  which 
we  did  ;  meanwhile  he  puts  about  and  sails  down  on  the 
black  ship,  who  kept  her  ports  closed,  but  stayed  his  coming 
patiently. 

Being  come  within  speaking  distance,  Sir  Bartlemy  takes 
his  speaking  horn  and  spreads  out  his  ancient  ;  whereupon 
the  black  ship  spread  hers,  which  was  true  English,  and 
every  way  as  good  as  ours.  Then  our  general  through  his 
horn  demanded  what  ship  that  was  and  why  she  did  so  per- 
sistently dog  us.  To  this  a  man  from  the  black  ship 
repliedv  that  she  was  the  Robin  Goodfellow,  of  Southampton, 
commanded  by  Richard  Simons,  and  a  very  peaceable 
trader,  bound  for  Campeachy  Bay  to  barter  for  dye-wood, 
and  that  she  meant  us  no  harm,  but  only  sought  to  have 
protection  against  pirates  by  sailing  in  the  company  of  two 
ships  so  well  armed  as  we. 

"  Then,"  shouts  my  uncle,  "  be  you  like  your  ship,  a  good 
fellow,  and  sheer  off,  for  we  like  your  room  better  than 


84  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

your  company  ;  and  sheer  off  at  once  (adds  he)  or  I  will 
pepper  your  jacket  to  a  pretty  tune." 

To  show  that  he  meant  to  be  as  good  as  his  word,  he 
bade  his  gunner  fire  a  broadside  wide  of  the  black  ship, 
which  did  the  gunner  very  faithfully,  hurting  no  one. 
"  Though,  would  to  God  ! "  says  my  uncle  afterwards, 
"  I  had  been  wise  enough  to  fire  amongst  his  rigging  for  a 
better  earnest." 

The  black  ship  made  no  response  ;  but,  turning  about, 
held  off  before  the  wind  half  a  mile  and  no  more  ;  and  my 
uncle,  sailing  upon  her  to  make  her  go  to  a  greater  dis- 
tance, she  sheered  off,  keeping  always  the  same  distance  ; 
and  this  maneuver  was  repeated  twice  or  thrice  till  Sir 
Bartlemy,  guessing  she  was  endeavoring  to  lure  him  away 
from  us,  and,  seeing  it  was  useless  to  try  and  come  up  to 
close  quarters  with  a  ship  that  could  sail  two  furlongs  to 
his  one,  gave  up  this  attempt  and  rejoined  us.  Our  captain 
tried  to  make  his  men  believe  that  the  black  ship  was  what 
her  captain  represented,  and  that  he,  in  still  following  us — 
which  he  did  as  though  he  had  received  no  warning,  or 
scorned  to  accept  it — was  merely  showing  a  stubborn  spirit 
and  not  a  hostile  one,  since  he  had  not  showed  any  guns 
or  fired  in  defiance  to  us.  Some  of  our  better  men  accepted 
this  ;  but  there  were  many  who  could  not  stomach  it,  and 
openly  cursed  the  day  when  they  had  come  to  sea  on  this 
venture. 

So  held  we  on,  and  my  uncle,  hoping  the  black  ship  would 
have  to  stay  for  water  and  refreshment  at  the  Azores  (for 
we  had  gone  from  our  course  that  if  the  black  ship  were 
indeed  bound  for  Campeachy  she  might  have  no  further 
pretext  to  hang  on  our  heels),  and  being  himself  still  very 
well  victualed,  would  not  stay  there,  but,  passing  them, 
bore  down  towards  the  Bermudas  ;  but  neither  would  the 
black  ship  stay  there,  but  kept  to  our  heels  as  perversely  as 
ever. 

Now,  being  come  to  the  Bermudas,  that  befell  which  I 
feared,  for  the  seas,  which  are  greatly  disturbed  at  those 
parts,  rose  prodigiously,  and  with  it  there  came  a  most 
terrible  hurricano.  which  obliged  us  to  run  with  a  single 
small  sail.  This  gale  did  so  buffet  and  hurl  us  about  as 
we  could  with  much  pain  keep  to  our  course  and  reason- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  8$ 

ably  near  our  consort  during  the  day  ;  but  at  night  it  was 
worse,  for  no  lamps  of  ours  could  be  kept  burning,  nor 
was  any  of  the  Faithful  Friend's  to  be  seen,  though  from 
time  to  time  we  fired  off  our  petereros  for  a  signal,  yet 
answer  got  we  none.  In  this  terrible  tempest  we  were 
sorely  bruised,  our  little  sail  split  to  shreds,  and  no  chance 
to  rig  another,  so  that  we  tossed  helpless  on  the  water, 
expecting  every  moment  to  founder.  But  it  pleased  God 
to  spare  us  this  time. 

I  shall  not  dwell  on  the  terrors  of  that  night,  nor  of  the 
next  day,  and  the  night  following,  but  come  briefly  to  the 
morning  of  the  third  day  of  our  tribulation,  when,  by  help 
of  such  sails  as  we  could  set,  we  drifted  out  of  that  horrid 
region  and  came  into  calmer  waters  ;  in  which  time  we  had 
been  swept  an  incredible  distance  ;  but,  lord  !  so  broken  in 
our  masts,  riggings,  and  elsewhere  as  it  was  pitiable  to  see  ; 
besides  three  men  short  of  our  number,  who  we  counted 
were  washed  away  in  that  hurricane.  Then  looking  around 
could  we  see  nothing  of  the  Faithful  Friend,  nor  of  the 
black  ship  neither  ;  so  that  we  reckoned  one  or  both  had 
gone  to  the  bottom. 

To  think  that  Lady  Biddy  was  no  more  affected  me  so 
grievously  that  I  threw  myself  on  the  deck,  not  caring 
what  became  of  me,  and  lamenting  that  I  lay  not  at  the 
bottom  of  that  cruel  sea  with  her.  But  Captain  Wilkins 
kept  a  brave  heart  (God  be  praised  !),  and,  hoping  yet  to 
see  our  consort  again,  contrived  to  set  up  some  sort  of  sails, 
fresh  rig  his  rudder,  and  restore  order  on  board,  so  that  ere 
long  we  were  making  good  way  towards  Trinidado  (as  we 
judged),  where  it  had  been  agreed  we  should  in  case  of 
separation  seek  rendezvous.  On  the  morning  of  the  fourth 
day,  ere  yet  there  was  full  daylight,  but  only  twilight,  as  I 
was  standing  on  the  poop  deck  very  melancholy  and  dejec- 
ted, I  heard  the  sound  of  guns  to  the  south  of  the  course 
we  were  making  ;  and  Captain  Wilkins,  to  whom  I  ran  in 
all  speed  to  communicate  these  tidings,  did  likewise  believe 
he  heard  this  sound  ;  whereupon  he  at  once  shaped  our 
course  in  that  direction,  whereby  in  a  little  time  we  were 
further  assured  that  these  sounds  were  real,  and  not  bred 
of  imagination.  The  reports  were  not  apart,  like  signals, 
but  continuous ;  so  that  we  knew  it  was  the  cannonading 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

of  ships  in  battle,  which  stirred  every  man  to  make  all 
haste  ;  and  indeed  we  did  all  we  could  think  on  to  speed 
our  ship  ;  still  were  we  slow,  for  our  want  of  sail,  which 
made  us  furious  with  impatience. 

There  was  a  haze  upon  the  water,  so  that  when  the  tu- 
mult of  guns  was  loud  in  our  ears,  we  could  see  nothing  ; 
but  now  the  sun  getting  up  strong  over  the  horizon  and 
sucking  up  the  mist,  we  of  a  sudden  caught  sight  of  the 
flashing  guns,  and  then  of  a  ship  not  many  furlongs  off, 
broadside  towards  us,  which  we  presently  descried  to  be 
the  black  ship  ;  though  now  her  whole  side  was  open  with 
ports,  from  which  her  guns  shone  out  like  teeth.  At  the 
same  time  we  perceived  that  she  was  grappled  on  stem  and 
stern  to  another  ship  on  the  further  side,  which  we  doubted 
not  was  the  Faithful  Friend ;  upon  which  we  did  all  set 
up  a  prodigious  cheer  ;  and  Captain  Wilkins  putting  about, 
we  passed  the  black  ship  at  less  than  a  furlong  distance, 
and  dealt  into  her  the  whole  weight  of  our  great  guns  on 
that  side  without  getting  a  single  shot  in  return.  The 
reason  of  this  was  that  all  the  ship's  company  were  occupied 
on  the  other  side  plying  their  cannon  and  boarding  the 
Faithful  Friend  (which  we  recognized  in  nearing  the  black 
ship),  as  was  evident  from  the  rattle  of  muskets  and  small 
arms  between  the  peals  of  the  great  guns. 

But  after  getting  this  dose  from  us,  they  were  not  long 
in  manning  their  guns  on  the  hither  side,  as  we  found  to 
our  cost  when,  putting  about  once  more,  we  sailed  down  to 
give  him  the  other  broadside  ;  for  their  cannon  belched  out 
with  such  fury  as  laid  many  a  stout  seamen  between  our 
decks  low,  besides  shooting  away  our  rudder,  which  rendered 
us  helpless,  as  it  were. 

Seeing  this,  I  begged  Captain  Wilkins  to  give  me  a  boat 
and  such  of  his  men  as  could  be  spared  to  go  and  succor 
our  friends,  to  which  he  agreed  readily  enough,  and  forth- 
with lowered  our  barge  ;  whereupon  I,  with  a  score  of 
hearty  fellows,  all  armed  to  the  teeth,  sprang  in,  and  rowed 
with  all  our  might  to  that  side  of  the  grappled  ships  where 
lay  the  Faithful  Friend.  Through  one  of  her  lower  ports 
we  scrambled,  one  after  the  other,  but  I  the  first,  you  may 
be  sure  ;  and  there  it  was  all  thick  with  stinking  gunpowder 
and  smoke,  and  strewn  with  dead  men,  and  such  as  were 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE,  87 

too  sorely  wounded  to  join  in  the  battle  above,  and  no  man 
ever  heard  greater  din  than  there  was  of  big  guns  and 
small,  the  clashing  of  steel,  the  trampling  on  the  decks,  the 
shouting  and  cursing  of  men  fighting,  and  the  sad  groaning 
of  the  hurt,  and  such  confusion  as  you  could  not  tell  one 
sound  from  another  scarcely. 

This  did  but  spur  us  on  to  be  doing,  and  like  so  many 
cats  we  sprang  up  through  the  hatchways  and  ladders,  and 
so  came  on  the  main  deck,  taking  no  heed  of  the  poor  fel- 
lows who  lay  heaped  at  the  foot  of  those  ladders,  nor  of  the 
blood  that  trickled  in  thick  drops  from  step  to  step,  splash- 
ing in  our  faces  as  if  it  had  been  mere  rain-water,  and 
smeared  down  the  handrails,  where  many  a  good  man  had 
pressed  his  bleeding  body  for  support. 

Now,  as  I  sprang  on  deck,  did  I  find  myself  in  the  very 
midst  and  thick  of  these  wicked  pirates,  who  were  readily 
to  be  distinguished  from  honest  seamen  by  red  skirts  which 
they  wear  who  bind  themselves  to  the  regulations  of  their 
Order. 

Just  before  me  was  a  culverdine  pointed  against  the 
roundhouse,  into  which  the  crew  of  the  Faithful  Friend 
(such  as  were  not  laid  low)  had  retired,  and  were  there 
barricaded,  and  a  fellow  stood  over  against  it,  blowing  his 
match  to  fire  the  piece.  And  this  man  I  knew  full  well  for 
a  villain  of  the  old  Sure  Hawk's  company,  and  with  the 
axe  in  my  hand,  I  struck  him  between  the  teeth  right 
through  to  his  neck-joint.  He  was  the  first  man  I  had 
ever  slain  ;  but  I  counted  it  as  nothing,  being  wrought  to 
very  madness  with  passion,  and  wrenching  my  axe  from  his 
bone,  I  turned  upon  another  rascal  who  was  making  at  my 
side  with  his  knife,  and  with  a  back-handed  blow,  the  hinder 
part  of  my  weapon  crashed  his  forehead  into  his  brains  as 
you  might  with  your  thumb  break  the  shell  of  an  egg  into 
the  yolk.  By  this  time  my  good  comrades  had  sprung  up 
behind  me  to  my  help,  else  had  my  fight  soon  come  to  an 
end  ;  for  the  pirates,  getting  over  the  amazement  into 
which  my  sudden  attack  had  thrown  them,  with  a  shout  of 
rage  turned  all  upon  me.  Then  did  we  so  lay  about  us 
that  we  beat  the  pirates  back  into  the  fore  part  of  the  ship, 
and  truly  I  do  think  that  if  those  of  our  friends  in  the 
roundhouse  could  then  have  come  to  our  help  we  should 


88  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

have  won  the  day  ;  but,  as  ill-luck  would  have  it,  they  had 
taken  such  pains  to  barricade  themselves,  to  prevent  the 
pirates  coming  at  them,  that  they  could  not  immediately  get 
out  to  come  at  them,  and  so,  for  want  of  support,  were  we 
undone.  For  there  were  of  the  pirates  two  score,  I  take  it, 
and  more  coming  to  their  succor  over  the  side  every  moment, 
while  we,  not  counting  those  who  may  have  fallen,  were 
but  one  score,  all  told. 

Foremost  among  our  enemies  was  Rodrigues  himself, 
who  did  look  a  very  devil  for  rage,  with  the  grime  of  smoke 
and  blood  about  his  face,  his  white,  pointed  tusks  bared 
to  the  gums,  and  his  eyes  flaming  with  fury.  His  head  was 
bound  about  with  a  bloody  clout,  for  he  had  got  a  wound, 
and  through  the  grime  of  powder-smoke  on  his  face  there 
was  a  bright  channel  where  the  blood  still  wept.  But  for 
all  his  wounds  he  fought  better  and  more  desperately  than 
any  of  the  rest  ;  and  seeing  that  those  in  the  roundhouse 
were  struggling  to  get  out  to  our  help,  and  that  his  only 
chance  lay  in  beating  us  down  ere  they  succeeded,  he  threw 
himself  forward  with  nothing  but  a  long  curved  knife  in  his 
hands.  His  intention  was  to  settle  my  business,  seeing  that 
I  had  done  him  this  mischief ;  and  surely  he  would  (for  I 
was  closely  grappled  with  a  fellow,  my  arms  about  him  and 
his  about  me,  each  seeking  to  get  freedom  for  the  use  of 
the  knives  in  our  hands),  but  that  a  comrade,  seeing  my 
peril,  dealt  at  him  with  his  brown  bill,  driving  the  spike 
into  his  shoulder.  On  this,  Rodrigues,  with  a  howl  of  rage, 
struck  out  the  point  from  his  shoulder,  and  turning  on  this 
poor  man  with  his  hooked  knife  ripped  him  up  from  the 
navel  as  you  might  a  rabbit.  At  that  moment  I  threw  my 
man  on  his  back,  and  in  falling  on  the  deck  my  knife  was 
driven  up  to  the  hilt  through  his  loins.  Then  did  I  get  a 
terrible  blow  on  the  head  (from  whom  I  know  not),  so  that  I 
lost  all  consciousness,  and  lay  like  one  dead. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  89 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    BATTLE   ENDED    TO    OUR   COMPLETE    DISCOMFITURE. 

NOW  must  I  speak  of  what  happened  on  board  the 
Faithful  Friend  after  my  discomfiture  ;  not  from  my 
own  knowledge — for  knowledge  had  I  none,  being 
felled,  as  I  say,  like  an  ox — but  from  what  I  afterwards 
learnt  from  others. 

Headed  by  Rodrigues,  the  pirates  cleaved  our  little  com- 
pany in  two,  and  so  surrounded  them  with  great  numbers 
that  their  case  was  hopeless,  and  in  short  time  they  were 
beaten  down  every  man,  and  left  for  de"ad,  these  heartless 
pirates  giving  no  quarter  to  any.  And  while  these  few 
were  being  despatched,  Rodrigues,  with  a  following  of 
shouting  fiends,  returned  to  attack  those  who  were  making 
their  way  out  of  the  roundhouse,  and  by  the  fury  of  that 
onslaught  did  they  cut  down  all  those  who  had  got 
out,  and  forced  them  within  once  more  to  set  up  their 
barricadoes. 

Then,  seeing  no  further  danger  on  board  the  Faithful 
Friend  but  such  as  a  round  dozen  of  his  rogues  might  cope 
with,  he  called  off  the  rest  to  return  on  board  his  ship  to 
defend  it  against  the  Sea  Lion.  For  Captain  Wilkins, 
having  set  out  two  long  sweeps  or  galley  oars  from  the 
lower  stern  gallery  to  serve  as  a  rudder,  had  returned  to 
the  attack,  and  coming  cheek  by  jowl  with  the  black  ship, 
he  grappled  her  in  his  turn,  so  that  now  all  three  ships 
were  bound  together,  and  thus,  with  their  cannons  mouth 
to  mouth  did  they  discharge  their  shot  one  into  the  other 
with  incredible  bitterness. 

But  here  the  black  ship  being  but  poorly  manned — most 
of  her  company  being  on  the  Faithful  Friend — played  but 
the  weaker  part ;  seeing  which,  Master  Wilkins  resolved  to 
board  her  with  his  men,  and  so  make  his  way  over  her 
decks  to  the  deliverance  of  his  consort.  He  called  his  men 
to  clamber  the  sides  of  the  black  ship  and  escalade  her 
bulwarks.  But  against  such  an  attack  was  the  black  ship 
well  provided,  for  not  only  were  her  bulwarks  at  arm's 
length  above  those  of  the  Sea  Lion^  but  furnished  with  a 


£0  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

devilish  device  of  broken  sword -blades,  spikes,  and  sharp 
nails  set  in  long  spars  and  lashed  to  the  side,  so  that 
nowhere  could  a  man  make  headway,  or  surmount  without 
cruel  gashes.  While  the  poor  brave  men  were  beating 
down  this  defense,  Rodrigues  and  his  wretches  came  pour- 
ing back  to  the  defense  of  the  black  ship,  and  while  some 
mowed  down  the  attackers  from  their  high  bulwarks  with 
axe  and  sword,  other  some  were  sent  below  to  recruit  their 
fellows  at  the  big  guns.  Rodrigues  himself  did  direct 
these  pieces,  so  bending  down  their  mouths  that  the  shot 
should  go  through  the  decks  to  beat  out  the  side  below 
water.  And  so  well  did  he  thrive  in  this  wickedness  that 
presently,  after  these  great  guns  had  been  fired,  the  Sea 
Lion  began  to  fill,  and  the  men  on  board,  seeing  they  must 
perish  by  drowning  if  they  stayed  in  her,  forsook  their 
pieces,  and,  rushing  all  on  deck,  cast  aside  their  arms,  fell 
on  their  knees,  and  begged  mercy  of  Rodrigues.  And  let 
it  not  be  thought  they  were  cowards  for  this,  but  put  your- 
self in  their  place,  and  consider  if  the  fear  of  death  would 
not  have  moved  you  to  the  same  distress. 

Rodrigues,  not  wishing  to  lose  all  the  Sea  Lion  con- 
tained, removed  his  defense  of  sword  blades,  etc.,  and  bade 
the  men  come  up,  which  they  did,  all  save  Captain  Wil- 
kins,  who,  with  his  sword  in  his  hand,  stood  alone  on  the 
deck.  Rodrigues,  taking  a  musket  in  his  hand,  bade  this 
brave  man  lay  down  his  sword  or  die  ;  but  he  took  no 
notice  of  this  command,  whereupon  did  Rodrigues  level  his 
piece  and  shot  him  dead  where  he  stood. 

Then  Rodrigues  sent  down  a  parcel  of  his  men  to 
stanch  the  leak  in  the  side  of  the  Sea  Lion,  and  this  they 
did  by  lowering  a  leaded  sail  upon  the  outer  side  to  cover 
the  holes  ;  after  which  the  water  was  pumped  out,  and  the 
carpenters  repaired  the  breach  more  securely,  so  that  there 
was  no  further  peril  of  her  going  down. 

And  now  being  masters  of  both  ships,  the  pirates  make 
great  rejoicing,  for  though  there  were  yet  those  in  the 
roundhouse  of  the  Faithful  Friend  who  were  unfettered, 
yet  were  they  close  prisoners  and  powerless  to  recover 
their  ship,  or  do  mischief,  except  in  foolhardy  desperation, 
to  their  captors. 

To  every  pirate  was  dealt  out  double  allowance  of  meat 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  91 

and  drink,  but  the  latter  not  of  a  strong  kind,  for  Rodri- 
gues  knew  full  well  that  a  drunken  bout  might  prove  their 
undoing.  As  for  the  prisoners  they  got  naught  to  eat,  but 
only  jeers  and  derision. 

While  his  men  were  yet  carousing,  Rodrigues  goes  on 
the  poop  deck  of  the  Faithful  Friend,  and  stamping  his 
heel  to  call  attention  to  those  below,  he  cried  out  to  know 
if  Sir  Bartlemy  Pengilly  was  yet  alive  ;  to  which  Sir  Bart- 
lemy  himself  replied  : 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  and  I  hope  to  live  yet  to  see  you 
hanged,  villain  !  " 

"Well,"  replies  the  other,  "you'll  not  get  that  chance 
unless  you  accept  my  conditions." 

"  I  will  make  no  conditions  with  such  as  you,"  cried  my 
uncle. 

"  You  had  better,  my  friend,"  says  Rodrigues,  jeeringly  ; 
"  'twill  save  you  a  deal  of  trouble  in  the  long  run." 

To  this  my  uncle  made  no  reply  but  one  of  his  sea  oaths. 

"  I  shall  leave  you  to  the  better  guidance  of  your  com- 
pany," says  Rodrigues  "  who,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  bring 
you  to  reason  when  they  begin  to  feel  the  pinch  of  starva- 
tion. But,  mark  this,  if  you  hurt  only  by  accident  a  single 
hair  of  my  men  with  the  arms  you  hold  so  precious,  I  will 
cannonade  you  where  you  are,  and  spare  not  one  single 
life." 

Then  calling  to  his  boatswain  he  bade  him  whistle  his 
company  to  their  posts,  and  pointing  to  the  deck,  all  ham- 
pered with  dead  and  dying  men,  he  cried  : 

"  Look  to  your  comrades ;  let  not  one  of  your  fellows 
who  has  a  spark  of  life  escape  your  care.  For  the  other 
carrion,  fling  it  overboard,  no  matter  whether  it  be  dead  or 
living." 

These  words  I  heard,  for  at  that  moment  I  was  waking 
from  my  trance. 


92  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

I  AM  SHOT    OUT   OF  ONE  SHIP  AND   CRAWL   INTO    ANOTHER, 
WITH  WHAT  ADVANTAGE  MAY  YET  BE  SEEN. 

MY  first  feeling  on  recovering  consciousness  was  of  a 
great  weight  oppressing  me,  and  this  I  presently  found 
was  due  to  two  dead  men  lying  athwart  me,  where  they 
had  fallen  in  their  last  agony.  Using  all  my  strength,  it  was 
as  much  as  I  could  do  to  thrust  him  off — one  fellow  lying 
across  my  breast  with  his  shoulder  against  my  throat,  and 
the  other  again  across  my  middle,  his  arms  thrown  out  upon 
the  first. 

The  cause  of  my  weakness  was  not  that  blow  that  had 
felled  me,  but  the  loss  of  blood  from  two  wounds — one  in 
my  thigh  and  the  other  in  the  thick  of  my  arm — which  I  had 
received  without  any  knowledge  on  my  part,  and  now  for 
the  first  time  discovered  by  my  clothes  being  glued  to  those 
parts  and  a  great  smarting  when  I  struggled  to  free  myself 
from  the  weight  of  the  dead  bodies. 

Being  once  more  able  to  breathe  freely,  I  lay  back  on 
the  deck  exhausted  and  faint  with  the  effort,  and  slowly 
brought  back  to  my  mind  what  had  happened.  The  silence 
on  board,  save  for  the  sound  of  reveling  from  the  black 
ship  alongside,  told  me  that  the  battle  was  over  ;  and  it 
needed  but  little  to  convince  me  how  the  fight  had  ended  ; 
but,  thinking  of  my  dear  Lady  Biddy,  I  presently  set  my 
hands,  all  stiff  and  sticky  with  blood,  on  the  deck,  and 
raised  myself  up,  looking  towards  the  coach.  Then  it  was  I 
saw  Rodrigues  and  heard  him  order  his  men  to  cast  all  us 
poor  fellows,  whom  he  termed  carrion,  overboard,  without 
regard  to  our  being  dead  or  living.  Then,  once  more,  a 
weariness  as  of  death  coming  over  me,  I  fell  again  on  my 
back,  with  a  giddiness  in  my  head  and  despair  at  heart, 
which  robbed  me  of  all  vigor,  while  the  stench  of  spilled 
blood  made  my  bowels  heave  with  sickness.  The  pirates, 
coming  now  to  clear  the  deck,  took  up  one .  poor  corpse, 
lifted  him  on  to  the  bulwarks,  and  so  bundled  him  over  ; 
and  in  this  wise  three  or  four  more,  when,  seeing  the  labor 
before  them,  one  fetched  from  below  the  wooden  gangway 
wherewith  they  slide  merchandise  from  a  wharf  down  into 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  93 

a  ship,  which  they  now  thrust  through  one  of  the  upper  deck 
gun-ports,  making  it  fast  with  cords.  This  way,  with  less 
trouble  and  much  quicker,  they  shot  the  "  carrion  "  into  the 
water,  taking  no  heed  if  some  poor  wretch  but  slightly 
wounded  did  cry  for  pity  and  mercy,  except  by  inhuman 
laughter  and  fiendish  jests. 

Two  or  three  rascals  came  and  carried  off  the  corpses  \ 
had  thrust  from  me,  and  then  I  knew  my  turn  was  come, 
and  naught  could  save  me,  for  I  had  no  strength  to  help  my. 
self.  And  back  came  those  two  (who  were  new  hands  and 
so  did  not  recognize  me),  and  one  kicking  me  over  on.  my 
face,  the  other  took  up  my  legs  by  the  knees,  while  the  first 
laid  hold  of  me  by  the  shoulders,  and  so  they  bore  me,  like 
so  much  butcher's  flesh  to  the  cutting  board,  and  flung  me 
on  to  the  slanting  gangway.  By  this  time  the  slope  was  ah 
slippery  with  gore  of  blood,  so  that  no  sooner  was  I  cast  on 
than  I  slid  down  like  a  stone,  and  shot  thence  deep  into  tha 
sea  below. 

Now,  whether  I  owed  it  to  the  cold,  invigorating  virtue 
of  the  refreshing  sea,  the  smarting  anew  of  my  wounds  in 
the  salt  thereof,  or  the  instinct  which  possesses  nearly  every 
creature  to  make  one  final  struggle  for  existence  in  the  pre- 
sence of  death,  I  can  not  say  ;  only  this  I  know,  that  no 
sooner  had  the  waters  closed  over  my  head  than  energy  re- 
turned to  my  spirit  and  strength  to  my  limbs,  and  striking 
out  manfully  with  my  arms  and  legs,  I  shortly  came  to  the 
surface  of  the  water,  not  more  than  a  couple  of  fathoms 
from  the  stern  of  the  Faithful  Friend. 

But  here  was  no  hold  at  all,  nor  could  I  see  that  I  was 
much  better  off  than  if  I  had  never  risen  from  the  deep,  till, 
casting  my  eyes  about,  I  spied  a  rope  hanging  over  the 
stern  of  the  black  ship  and  trailing  in  the  sea,  which  rope 
was  part  of  her  rigging  (for  she  also  had  suffered  in  the 
gale,  to  say  nothing  of  our  shot).  To  this  I  swam,  and 
being  still  full  of  new-born  vigor,  I  drew  on  it  till  it  became 
taut,  and  I  could  keep  my  head  above  water  with  no  exer- 
tion at  all. 

Here  I  rested  a  bit,  all  the  while  searching  how  I  might 
better  my  condition,  and  perceiving  that  my  rope  passed 
over  the  lower  stern  gallery,  I  presently  got  the  rope  be- 
tween my  knees,  and  by  passing  one  hand  over  the  other 


94  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

made  a  shift  to  pull  myself  up,  though  not  without  difficulty, 
for  as  I  drew  myself  out  of  the  water  I  began  to  turn  round 
and  round  on  the  strained  rope  like  a  joint  of  meat  at  the 
end  of  a  string.  However,  this  was  but  a  trifle  of  trouble, 
and  hand  over  hand  I  climbed  up  till  at  length  I  reached 
the  gallery,  where  I  took  another  rest,  and  returned  thanks 
to  God  with  as  grateful  a  heart  as  I  could  find. 

This  gallery,  I  take  it,  opened  into  the  steward's  room, 
for  through  the  ports  I  heard  the  clinking  of  mugs  and  the 
voices  of  men  within,  and  seeing  that  at  any  moment  some 
fellow  might  look  out  and  spy  me,  I  felt  it  would  not  do  to 
linger  there ;  so  I  went  again  to  my  rope,  which  hung  con- 
veniently on  one  side  of  the  ports,  and  pulled  myself  up  to 
the  gallery  above,  which,  is  what  is  called  the  captain's 
parade,  that  balcony  against  the  chief  cabins  where  the 
officers  alone  are  privileged  to  walk.  Here,  as  luck  would 
have  it,  the  wreck  of  a  sail  hanging  down  from  the  deck 
above  formed  a  kind  of  screen,  where  I  might  rest  for  the 
present  secure  from  observation.  With  a  glad  heart  I 
crawled  under  this  refuge,  and,  sitting  down  to  fetch  my 
breath,  I  thought  it  not  amiss  to  look  to  my  wounds.  On 
the  crown  of  my  head  was  a  lump  as  big  as  a  fair  egg,  and 
the  scalp  cut,  but  no  longer  bleeding ;  in  my  thigh  was  a 
pike  wound  about  three  inches  long,  but  not  deep.  By 
tearing  off  the  foot  of  my  stocking  and  so  drawing  the  other 
part  high,  I  managed  to  make  a  very  fair  dressing  for  this 
wound.  The  other,  which  was,  as  I  say,  in  the  fleshy  part 
of  my  arm,  gave  me  little  anxiety,  for,  though  it  still  bled 
pretty  freely,  I  could  get  at  it  easily,  and,  binding  it  round 
with  my  neckerchief,  I  felt  no  further  concern  about  it,  but 
only  satisfaction  to  find  that  my  case  was  no  worse. 

Scarcely  had  I  come  to  this  conclusion  when  I  heard  the 
trampling  of  feet  on  the  deck  above,  and  the  sound  of 
voices,  with  one  in  a  higher  tone  giving  orders.  And  the 
first  thing  these  men  did  was  to  haul  upon  the  sail  which 
screened  me. 

"  I  am  a  lost  man  if  I  stay  here  longer,"  thinks  I ;  so 
slipping  along  still  under  the  sail  I  came  to  the  little  door 
opening  on  to  the  gallery.  By  happy  chance  this  was  not 
fastened,  save  by  a  latch,  and  seeing,  as  I  peered  through 
the  lattice  window,  that  no  one  was  on  the  other  side,  I 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  95 

slipped  through,  and  found  myself  in  a  prodigious  fine 
cabin  ;  for  this  Rodrigues  was  no  common,  sluttish  jack- 
sailor,  but  a  man  who,  when  he  could  afford  it,  lived  like 
any  prince,  indulging  himself  in  every  extravagant  luxury 
that  a  voluptuous  taste  can  conceive.  Here  was  a  thick 
carpet  on  the  floor,  and  all  round  the  sides  ran  a  sofett, 
furnished  with  cushions  in  the  Moors'  style,  with  fine  paint- 
ings and  mirrors  above,  and  a  lantern  of  colored  glass  like 
gems  hanging  from  the  ceiling,  which  was  painted  as  pretty 
as  could  be  with  devices  of  flowers  and  cherubs.  To  the 
windows  were  silk  curtains  of  a  rose  color  ;  but  to  speak  of 
all  these  appointments  have  I  no  time  ;  only  will  I  say  this, 
that  never  anywhere  else  have  I  seen  such  expense  wasted 
as  in  the  cabin  of  this  scoundrel  pirate.  Nor  had  I  time  or 
inclination  then  to  take  note  of  all  this  bravery,  being  only 
concerned  to  find  me  some  hole  where  I  might  hide  for 
safety.  And  now  came  a  bustle  on  the  outside  of  the  cabin, 
so  that  I  felt  I  had  but  come  out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the 
fire,  and  which  way  to  turn  I  knew  not.  I  could  not  go 
into  the  body  of  the  ship  for  the  men  there,  nor  back  into 
the  gallery  neither  for  the  men  above  ;  yet  to  stay  where  I 
stood  would  be  as  bad  as  either. 

In  this  pickle  I  halted  till  spying  an  opening  on  one  side 
between  the  sofetts,  I  pushed  the  gilded  panel  to  see  if, 
perchance,  this  were  some  fantastic  kind  of  door  ;  and,  sure 
enough,  it  was,  giving  way  readily  to  my  hand,  and  closing 
behind  me  softly  with  spring-work.  And  there  I  found 
myself  in  a  cabin  smaller  than  the  other,  but  still  mighty 
fine,  and  fitted  up  as  a  bed-chamber,  with  a  good  cot  fixed 
on  one  side,  hung  with  saffron  taffety.  Other  door  to  this 
chamber  was  there  none  ;  nor  could  I  see  any  place  of 
safety  but  under  the  cot,  whither  therefore  I  did  creep — 
recommending  myself  to  Providence — without  further  ado, 
and  not  a  whit  too  soon  neither,  for  scarcely  had  I  got  my 
long  legs  well  out  of  sight  when  the  door  opened  and  a  boy 
came  in,  as  I  could  see  by  his  little  bare  feet  peeping  under 
the  valance. 

Putting  my  eye  close  to  the  ground,  I  saw  him  go  to  a 
polished  chest  on  the  other  side  and  fetch  from  one  drawer 
a  clean  shirt  and  a  pair  of  stockings  ;  then  from  another 
slop  shoes,  a  pair  of  trunks,  and  the  like  ;  till,  having  set 


9<5  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

out  all  that  was  necessary,  he  gathered  them  up  in  his  arms 
and  carried  them  away,  from  which  I  opined  that  Rodrigues 
had  yet  another  cabin  where  he  was  about  to  change  his 
bloody  and  besmirched  clothes  for  these  other.  Nor  was  I 
far  out  in  this  surmise,  for  in  some  ten  minutes  or  so,  the 
door  was  flung  open,  and  I  caught  sight  of  those  same  slop- 
shoes  and  clean  stockings  for  a  moment  as  he  stood  by  the 
side  of  the  cot  thrusting  back  the  curtains  before  he  threw 
himself  down  to  rest.  As  his  deep  breathing  proclaimed 
that  he  had  fallen  asleep,  I  was  for  a  while  sorely  tempted 
to  creep  out  from  my  hiding-place  and  cut  the  villain's 
throat  as  he  lay  there  ;  nay,  so  well  could  I  make  out  where 
he  lay  over  my  head  that,  putting  the  point  of  my  jack-knife 
against  the  sacking,  I  felt  sure  that  I  could,  with  one 
forcible  thrust,  drive  it  up  into  his  black  heart.  Yet  I  could 
not  do  this  either  way ;  for,  first,  my  sentiment  revolted 
against  taking  the  life  of  a  defenseless  man,  as  against 
murder — despite  his  cruel  treatment  of  the  helpless  wounded 
and  myself — and  then  my  reason  forbade  me  to  attempt 
such  a  desperate  measure,  for  if  Rodrigues  died  there  yet 
remained  forty  or  fifty  desperate  villains  to  overcome,  and 
how  was  one  wounded  man  by  any  possibility  to  accom- 
plish that  feat  ?  To  fail  in  such  an  attempt  would  be  to 
provoke  the  enemy  to  such  a  fury  of  revenge  that  he  would 
massacre  every  one  of  those  whose  release  had  been 
attempted.  I  say  massacre,  but  a  yet  worse  fate  might  be 
reserved  for  Lady  Biddy,  whose  dear  sake  now  did  most 
concern  me.  With  this  reflection  I  gently  shut  up  my 
jack-knife,  and  slipped  it  back  into  my  pocket  for  better 
employment. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

GREATLY     PUT     TO     IT    TO     KNOW     WHAT     TO     DO,     I     DO 
NOTHING. 

THE  bumping  and  grinding  together  of  the  ships  had 
ceased  before  Rodrigues  came  to  take  rest,  snowing 
that  the  grapnels  were  cast  off  that  bound  the  three 
ships  together  ;  and  now,  from  the  easy  movement,  I  sur- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  97 

mised  that  me  were  under  way,  and  making  for  some  haven 
for  the  greater  convenience  of  repairing  injuries,  distribut- 
ing of  stores,  refreshment,  etc.,  which  was  indeed  the  case. 
On  board  the  Sea  Lion  Rodrigues  had  set  a  sufficiency  of 
men  to  work  her,  and  on  the  Faithful  Friend  a  greater 
number  for  a  like  purpose,  and  to  serve  as  guard  over  the 
prisoners  in  the  roundhouse,  while  the  rest  he  took  with 
him  on  board  his  own  ship  to  lead  the  way  and  conduct  the 
prizes  he  had  taken.  About  eight  o'clock  that  evening  (as 
I  judge)  we  seemed  to  have  come  into  very  smooth  water, 
and  then  the  boy  coming  to  the  cabin  called  to  Rodrigues 
that  the  master  did  wish  to  speak  to  him  :  whereupon 
Rodrigues  sprang  up  and  went  out.  Then  for  the  first  time 
could  I  stretch  my  limbs  with  ease  ;  for  though  the  bustle 
on  deck,  the  hammering  of  the  carpenters,  and  such  noisy 
business  affected  his  slumbers  not  in  the  least,  yet  did  I  but 
turn  upon  the  carpet  under  his  cot,  his  breathing  would 
show  that  the  sound  had  alarmed  his  senses,  which  was  a 
remarkable  thing,  but  not  without  parallel,  for  those  who 
live  in  peril  develop,  as  I  may  say,  a  new  sense  which  never 
sleeps.  Thus  had  I  been  constrained  to  lie  very  still 
(which  was  doubtless  of  great  advantage  to  me  for  the  heal- 
ing of  my  wounds,  but  very  little  to  the  repose  of  my  bones), 
for  I  knew  full  well  that  had  he  found  me  under  his  cot  he 
would  have  slain  me  there,  helpless  as  I  was  for  defense, 
without  any  such  compunction  as  stayed  my  hand  from 
taking  his  life. 

So  now,  as  I  say,  being  free  to  move,  I  stretched  myself 
and  turned  me  about  with  great  relief  and  satisfaction,  for 
here,  as  I  take  it,  had  I  been  lying  on  my  back  without 
motion  the  best  part  of  ten  hours.  Presently  I  heard  the 
voice  of  Rodrigues  on  the  deck  above,  and  feeling  mighty 
faint  for  want  of  food,  I  lifted  the  valance  and  peeped  out. 
There  was  just  light  enough  to  descry  a  wine-cooler  in  the 
corner  of  the  cabin  over  against  the  chest  I  have  mentioned, 
and  urged  on  by  my  necessity  I  made  bold  to  wriggle  out 
from  my  hiding-place  and  creep  over  to  it.  By  good  chance 
it  was  unlocked,  and  inside  were  half  a  dozen  good  bottles, 
of  which  I  scrupled  not  to  appropriate  the  first  I  laid  my 
hand  on  ;  then  to  make  a  good  job  of  it  while  I  was  about 
it,  I  pried  into  a  cabinet  hard  by,  when  by  another  good 


98  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

chance  I  lighted  on  a  dish  of  dried  raisins.  Well  content 
with  this  booty,  I  hied  me  back  under  the  cot,  and  rolling 
up  a  corner  of  the  carpet  to  serve  as  a  pillow,  I  managed 
to  refresh  myself  to  my  heart's  content.  Nay,  I  think  I 
drank  more  of  that  wine  (the  most  excellent  that  ever  I  did 
taste)  than  was  good,  for  despite  my  determination  to  keep 
awake,  I  unconsciously  fell  asleep,  which  was  the  maddest 
thing  a  man  in  his  right  senses  could  have  done  ;  for  had 
Rodrigues  come  back  into  that  cabin  he  would  surely  have 
discovered  me  by  my  hard  breathing  ;  but  this  (thanks  be 
to  God  ! )  he  did  not  do  ;  for  having  rested  himself,  he 
gave  permission  to  his  crew  to  relax  awhile  likewise,  him- 
self going  on  board  the  Faithful  Friend  for  the  better 
custody  of  the  prisoners  there,  as  I  believe. 

At  this  time  the  three  ships,  brought  all  well  together,  lay 
anchored  within  a  good  bay  (as  I  am  told)  in  an  island 
which  I  take  it  must  have  been  one  of  the  Bahamas. 

I  was  awoke  by  a  bustling  in  the  next  cabin,  to  find  the 
sun  streaming  full  under  the  edge  of  the  cot  valance.  I 
heard  Rodrigues  speaking  there  in  a  tone  of  command,  but 
what  he  said  my  senses  were  yet  too  confused  to  make  out ; 
then  I  caught  sight  of  the  boy's  feet  again  as  he  entered 
that  one  where  I  lay  and  set  something  down.  And  now 
he  comes  very  briskly  to  the  cot  and  sets  about  stripping 
it  ;  that  done,  he  shakes  up  the  bed,  turns  it  over  as  any 
maid  would,  and  fetch  out  from  the  chest  clean  sheets, 
which  he  lays  in  the  place  of  those  who  had  stripped  off, 
and  so  makes  up  the  bed  ;  after  which  he  sets  the  furniture 
in  order,  and,  tucking  the  foul  linen  under  his  arm,  goes  out. 

All  this  while  there  was  prodigious  hurrying  to  and  fro 
over  head,  tumbling  of  heavy  goods  below,  creaking  of 
pulleys,  shouting  of  orders,  and  like  confusion,  which  was 
caused  by  the  shipping  aboard  of  the  black  ship  all  the 
stores  and  treasure  belonging  to  the  Sea  Lion  and  the 
Faithful  Friend,  to  which  this  rogue  Rodrigues  had  a  fancy. 
But  to  think  that  in  the  midst  of  all  this  pother  he  took 
heed  to  having  clean  sheets  laid  in  this  bed  did  astonish  me 
beyond  all  things. 

The  bustle  continued  all  the  morning  ;  once  or  twice  the 
boy  came  in  with  parcels,  which  he  set  atop  of  that  he  had 
already  brought,  but  nothing  else  occurred  to  disturb  my 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  99 

meditations.  And  these,  as  I  grew  accustomed  to  the 
noise  around  me,  were  of  a  very  melancholy  sort,  not 
because  of  the  sad  outlook  concerning  my  own  fortunes, 
for  I  may  truly  say  I  had  grown  in  a  sort  callous  and  indif- 
ferent to  what  became  of  me,  but  for  thinking  of  Lady 
Biddy.  I  took  myself  very  grievously  to  task  for  having 
slept  all  through  that  night  like  a  log  while  she  was  in  such 
an  extremity. 

"Is  this  your  devotion,  wretch  !  "  says  I  to  myself — " is 
this  your  love,  that  you  can  slumber  in  peace  while  she, 
hived  up  with  rude  sailors,  destitute  of  common  necessaries, 
is  in  peril  of  death  at  the  hands  of  her  wicked  persecutors  ? 
Have  you  no  bowels  of  pity,  that  you  could  make  not  one 
effort  to  save  her,  rascal  ?  " 

In  this  way  I  taunted  myself,  until,  falling  into  a  more 
reasonable  state  of  mind,  I  began  to  reason  as  to  what  I 
might  yet  do  in  her  behalf.  I  concluded  from  the  shifting 
of  the  stores  that  Rodrigues  had  determined  to  abandon 
the  two  ships  with  their  crew,  for  the  mere  hulls  could  be 
of  little  value  to  him.  Coming  to  this  decision,  I  was  for 
getting  away  from  the  black  ship  and  rejoining  the  Faithful 
Friend,  that  I  might  be  near  by  Lady  Biddy ;  but  what 
could  I  then  do  ?  Was  not  this  rather  a  gratification  of  my 
own  selfish  desire  than  a  means  of  benefiting  her  ?  Was  I 
not  simply  adding  another  hungry  mouth  to  that  destitute 
company?  With  these  and  a  hundred  such  fruitless^ argu- 
ments did  I  torment  myself ;  now  preparing  myself  to  get 
away,  now  resigning  myself  to  stay  where  I  was,  getting  no 
nearer  to  a  rational  determination  in  the  end  that  I  was  in 
the  beginning. 

I  was  still  in  this  torment  when  I  heard  the  anchor  weigh- 
ing and  the  men  singing  as  they  used  to  do  at  this  business. 
Suddenly  their  singing  ceased,  and  I  heard  a  great  angry 
clamor  of  voices  from  a  distance  ;  nay,  I  do  think  I  heard 
my  uncle's  big  voice  above  the  rest,  and  then  the  fellows 
above  replying  with  laughter  and  derision,  so  that  I  knew 
we  were  leaving  that  unhappy  company  behind,  as  was  the 
more  evident  by  the  bending  of  the  ship  before  the  wind. 
Then,  desperate  to  think  I  was  being  carried  away  from 
Lady  Biddy,  I  took  resolution  to  dash  through  the  cabin 
to  the  gallery  and  cast  myself  into  the  sea?  and  to  this  end 


loo          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

I  had  set  my  hands  and  feet  against  the  wall,  to  thrust  my 
body  from  under  the  cot,  when  the  door  was  thrown  vio- 
lently open,  the  cabin  entered,  and  the  sacking  of  the  bed 
was  pressed  down  over  my  head,  which  made  me  think  that 
Rodrigues  had  come  again  to  rest  himself. 

Turning  silently  on  my  back  I  glanced  under  the  valance. 
At  a  little  distance  were  the  bare  feet  of  the  boy  ;  close  to 
the  valance,  standing  beside  the  cot,  were  the  feet  of  a  man. 
Thus  they  stood  immovable  for  a  space,  and  then  lightly 
they  moved  away  and  the  door  was  closed  behind  them. 
But  the  sacking  still  bulged  downward  with  the  weight 
thrown  on  the  bed.  "  Had  Rodrigues  laid  there  a  wounded 
comrade  ?  "  I  asked  myself. 

That  it  was  Rodrigues  who  had  entered  and  left  the 
cabin  I  was  sure,  for  I  now  heard  his  voice  speaking  low, 
as  if  giving  orders  to  the  boy,  in  the  one  adjoining. 

If  it  be  a  wounded  comrade  he  has  laid  here,  then  he  is 
badly  hurt,  thought  I,  as  I  lay  with  my  eyes  fixed  on  the 
sacking,  for  there  was  no  sign  of  movement  ;  nor  was  there 
any  sound  of  groaning  or  the  like. 

Only  for  a  few  minutes  did  matters  stand  thus,  however  ; 
then  there  was  a  little  movement  above,  followed  by  a  quick 
start,  and  the  next  instant,  in  the  space  below  the  valance, 
I  saw  descend  the  sweetest  little  foot  that  ever  man  did  see, 
and  then  its  fellow,  both  neatly  shod,  after  which  fell  the 
hem  of  an  envious  petticoat  that  shut  them  from  my  sight. 

My  heart  quite  ceased  to  beat  as  I  asked  myself,  "  Who 
is  this  woman  ?  " 

For  a  moment  she  stood  where  she  had  stepped  to  the 
ground,  as  if  looking  around  to  realize  where  she  was;  then 
like  any  doe  she  sprang  toward  the  little  windows  that 
opened  on  to  the  gallery,  and  looking  out,  she  gave  a  moan 
of  despair,  that  by  which  plaintive,  delicate  sound,  I  knew 
that  this  dear  creature  was  Lady  Biddy. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

I   HAKE    MYSELF    KNOWN    TO    LADY   BIDDY,    WITH    DIVERS 
OTHER    MATTERS. 

SCARCE  had  this  piteous  moan  passed  her  tender  lips 
when  Rodrigues  (as  I  am  told),  opening  the  door,  made 
her  a  mighty  respectful  reverence,  and,  says  he — 

"  Madam,  I  am  delighted  you  have  recovered  of  your 
swoon,  and  I  trust  you  feel  no  ill-effect  of  the  rough  usage 
we  were  forced  to  exercise  in  bringing  you  hither." 

"  Where  am  I  ?  "  cried  Lady  Biddy,  fiercely.  "  Why 
have  you  brought  me  here  ? " 

"  You  are  on  board  the  Robin  Goodfellow"  says  he, 
gravely,  "  or,  as  my  fellows  prefer  to  call  it,  the  Black 
Death  ;  and  I  have  brought  you  here  because  I  had  not  the 
heart  to  leave  you  on  the  Faithful  Friend,  to  endure  the 
hardships  to  which  her  company  must  be  reduced." 

"  Where  is  my  uncle  ?  Get  you  hence  and  bring  him  to 
me  !  "  she  cries,  with  the  same  impetuous  fury. 

"  In  anything  else  I  shall  obey  you  punctually,"  says  he  ; 
"  but  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  comply  with  this  demand, 
for  Sir  Bartlemy  Pengilly  is  in  the  ship  yonder,  which  we 
are  leaving  behind." 

"  You  gave  him  your  promise  that  not  one  of  those  who 
were  in  the  roundhouse  should  be  injured  in  any  way  if  he 
laid  down  his  arms.  It  was  to  save  me  from  the  violence 
of  your  crew  that  he  submitted  himself  with  the  brave  men 
who  stood  by  him." 

"  Madam,  it  was  to  that  very  end  I  gave  my  promise. 
Undoubtedly,  had  your  uncle  stood  out,  I  could  not  have 
stayed  my  company  from  firing  into  the  roundhouse  and 
putting  an  end  to  the  obstinate  resistance  there,  notwith- 
standing you  were  likely  to  have  fallen  a  victim  with  your 
friends." 

"  Would  to  God  we  had  met  that  fate,  rather  than  trust 
to  your  promises,  dastard  villain  !  "  says  she  ;  "  for  then 
had  there  been  an  honorable  end  to  their  woes  and  mine." 

"  Patience,  patience,  lady  !  "  says  he,  in  a  tone  calcula- 
ted only  to  arouse  her  greater  indignation.  "  You  are 
much  too  young  to  die,  and  too  beautiful.  Trust  me,  your 


t02          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  PANE. 

fate  will  be  a  happier  one  than  you  can  at  present  conceive. 
When  your  spirits  are  calmer  you  will  see  that  this  unfor- 
tunate business  is  due  to  the  impetuosity  of  your  uncle,  and 
that  I  am  the  best  friend  you  could  have  found,  in  the 
midst  of  deplorable  circumstances.  Your  uncle  fired  the 
first  shot,  and  the  first  man  who  fell  in  the  conflict  was  on 
board  this  ship.  Could  you  expect  my  men  to  see  their 
innocent  comrades  slaughtered  with  indifference,  or  me  to 
make  no  effort  for  their  preservation  from  further  mischief  ? 
We  fought,  and  having  overcome  those  who  would  have 
overcome  us,  we  did  all  that  a  magnanimous  victor  could 
reasonably  afford  to  do.  We  forgave  those  who  laid  down 
their  arms,  and  gave  them  a  ship  to  continue  their  journey 
in.  I  had  promised  no  injury  should  be  inflicted  upon 
you,  and  for  that  reason  I  brought  you  hither,  where,  as 
you  see,  you  will  be  not  ill-lodged,  and  shall  have  the  best 
nurture  and  service  the  stores  and  my  company  can  offer. 
Had  I  left  you  on  the  Faithful  Friend  your  case  would 
have  been  different,  for  the  vessel  is  badly  injured,  and  I 
fear  the  company  will  be  sorely  put  to  it  for  provisions,  as, 
to  supply  our  own  wants,  we  were  'obliged  to  take  from  her 
stores — a  poor  recompense  for  the  loss  and  injury  inflicted 
upon  us.  I  have  been  careful  to  have  your  personal  effects 
brought  hither  for  your  use;  they  are  here.  If  anything  is 
short  of  your  requirements,  or  if — " 

"Silence  !  "  cried  Lady  Biddy,  who,  turning  her  back  on 
Rodrigues,  had  tried  to  turn  a  deaf,  indifferent  ear  to  his 
harangue,  but  was  at  length  by  his  long-winded  persever- 
ance and  mock-humility  wrought  to  an  intolerable  degree 
of  impatience.  "  Silence  !  "  cries  she,  turning  upon  him 
and  stamping  her  little  foot.  "  Leave  me,  or,  by  my  soul, 
I'll  put  an  end  to  this  torment  another  way,"  and  indeed 
(as  I  learn)  she  did  look  around  in  desperation  for  some 
instrument  wherewith  to  destroy  herself,  being  very  bit- 
terly aggrieved  by  this  hypocrite. 

Again  this  Rodrigues  makes  her  a  low  reverence,  and 
with  his  hand  on  the  door  says,  "  I  shall  hope  to  find  your 
spirits  easier  when  I  next  give  myself  the  pleasure  to  inquire 
after  your  condition.  I  have  had  refreshment  placed  in 
this  next  cabin,  and  should  you  need  anything,  you  have  but 
to  pull  the  bell.  And  so  good-morning  to  your  ladyship." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  103 

Lady  Biddy  gave  him  no  reply,  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
closed  the  second  door  after  him — turning  the  key  in  the 
outside,  she  ran  to  the  bed,  and  casting  herself  upon  it, 
gave  vent  to  her  feeling  in  an  agony  of  tears. 

And  to  hear  her  sobbing  above  me,  yet  striving  to 
smother  the  sound,  lest  Rodrigues  should  know  that  her 
pride  had  broken  down,  would  have  touched  any  stony 
heart.  It  was  so  pitiful  to  my  ear  that  the  tears  coursed 
down  my  own  cheeks  as  I  listened. 

Thus  she  sobbed  in  a  great  tumult  for  some  while,  and 
then  her  passion  softening  into  mere  maiden's  sorrow,  she 
murmured  in  a  low  tone,  still  smothering  her  sweet  voice 
in  the  pillow  lest  it  should  be  heard,  and  yet  not  able  to 
keep  quite  silent  either — "  Oh,  my  heart  !  Oh,  my  poor 
heart !  "  and  this  she  said  over  and  over  again — "  Oh,  my 
poor  heart  !  Oh,  my  heart !  "  with  mournful  tremor,  una- 
ble to  find  other  words  to  express  the  commotion  of  her 
feelings. 

Now  would  I  have  given  anything  to  be  of  comfort  to 
her,  yet  I  dared  not  come  forth  from  where  I  lay,  lest  my 
sudden  appearance  should  move  her  to  cry  out  with  terror 
ere  she  discerned  who  I  was,  which  would  have  brought 
Rodrigues  back  in  a  twinkling,  and  ruined  all.  So  I  waited 
patiently  awhile,  and  when  she  ceased  to  make  moan,  and 
only  sobbed  at  intervals,  like  a  child  exhausted  with  weep- 
ing, I  began  to  gently  scratch  the  tick  of  the  bed  with  my 
finger-nail,  making  no  more  noise  than  might  a  mouse 
nibbling. 

Of  this  she  at  first  took  no  notice,  but  anon  I  observed 
she  smothered  a  sob,  as  if  to  listen  with  greater  attention, 
and  then  by  the  movement  above  I  noticed  she  had  started 
up  as  if  resting  on  her  elbow  ;  as  I  still  continued  the 
scratching,  she  presently  made  a  movement  of  the  clothes, 
as  if  to  frighten  the  thing  away,  for  the  bravest  of  women 
do  greatly  fear  a  mouse  ;  upon  which,  ceasing  to  scrape 
the  tick,  I  said  quickly,  in  a  very  low  whisper — 

"  Do  not  cry  out,  a  friend  is  here — I,  Benet  Pen- 
gilly  ! " 

Then  whipped  she  off  the  bed,  yet  making  no  sound, 
and  I,  putting  my  hands  and  feet  as  I  have  aforesaid 
against  the  wall,  pushed  myself  out  from  my  cramped  hid- 


104  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

ing-place,  and  got  upon  my  feet  before  her,  raising  my  fin- 
ger and  casting  my  eyes  about  for  fear  of  discovery. 

I  must  have  been  very  villainous  and  horrid  to  look 
upon,  my  hair  untrimmed  and  hanging  about  my  face  in 
dank  wisps  clotted  with  blood  from  my  wound,  my  clothes 
in  a  like  pickle,  and  no  cleaner  in  my  flesh  than  the  sea  had 
washed  me  the  day  before  ;  but  such  horrors  had  she  seen 
that  her  senses  were,  as  it  were,  the  accustomed  to  such 
dreadful  images,  and  she  saw  me  no  worse  than  others,  but 
rather  better,  for  being  there  a  friend  where  she  thought 
was  none  but  enemies. 

Catching  the  meaning  of  my  gesture,  she  went  quickly 
to  the  panel  door  and  spied  into  the  next  cabin,  whence 
she  came  back  light  of  foot,  nodding  to  assure  me  all  was 
safe.  Then  she  gave  me  her  hand,  and  I  taking  no  heed 
whether  mine  was  reasonably  clean  or  proper  to  hold  so 
dainty,  delicate  a  thing,  took  it ;  and  to  feel  those  soft, 
cool  fingers  clinging  tightly  to  my  rough  palm,  did  seem  to 
contract  every  muscle  of  my  back  with  physical  delight. 
Also  was  my  heart  quickly  moved  with  joy  to  perceive  in 
her  dear  eyes — though  they  were  swollen  and  red  with 
weeping — a  bright  beam  of  hope  and  satisfaction,  whilst 
the  corners  of  her  lips  curved  with  a  little  smile. 

Coming  quite  close  to  me,  she  whispered  eagerly  in  my 
ear — 

"You  will  save  me,  Benet,  won't  you  ?  You  will  be  my 
good  friend  ?  " 

"  Ay,"  says  I  as  softly  as  she  (if  that  might  be).  "  With 
God's  help,  no  harm  shall  befall  you." 

On  this  she  presses  my  hand  a  little  closer,  and  then  goes 
again  to  the  door,  from  which  she  returns  with  almost  a 
child's  glee  to  tell  me  all  is  safe,  and  to  ask  by  what  miracle 
I  came  to  her  succor. 

This  joy  in  the  midst  of  such  trouble  and  peril,  this 
kindness  to  me  for  whom  she  had  shown  little  liking  hith- 
erto, but  rather  detestation  for  the  most  part,  will  seem  un- 
natural, as  being  contrary  to  the  proud,  high  spirit  and 
independence  of  Lady  Biddy,  and  so  would  it  have  been  at 
any  other  time  ;  but  there  is  none — be  he  a  man  and  never 
so  strong — but  grief  and  terrible  anxiety  will  reduce  to  the 
unresisting  soft  temper  of  a  child  ;  so  I  do  think  and  thus 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          105 

explain  this  truth.  And,  indeed,  she  gave  present  proof  of 
weakness,  for  while  the  smile  was  yet  on  her  lips,  she  clasps 
her  hand  to  her  heart  and  sinks  down,  sitting  on  the  bed  as 
if  she  could  no  longer  hold  her  footing. 

Seeing  she  was  faint,  I  went  with  all  speed  and  reckless 
into  the  next  chamber  for  that  refreshment  Rodrigues  said 
was  set  there  for  her  use — than  which  no  madder  thing 
fool  ever  did,  for  there  were  windows  opposite  the  gallery 
looking  on  to  the  deck,  and  had  one  been  prying  there  I 
must  have  been  seen,  for  all  the  two  curtains  were  drawn, 
there  being  space  enough  for  one  to  peep  through  from  the 
outside  if  he  were  so  minded.  But — thanks  be  to  God  ! — 
there  was  no  one  spying,  and  so  I  got  the  tray  of  refresh-' 
ments  from  the  table  where  it  lay  and  carried  it  into  the 
next  cabin  with  no  mischance. 

This  tray  I  set  on  the  bed  beside  Lady  Biddy,  and  she 
ate  and  drank  with  appetite,  poor  soul,  for  all  the  time  they 
had  been  shut  up  in  the  roundhouse — she,  with  her  uncle, 
and  the  poor  remnant  of  his  company — not  one  had  broken 
fast,  for  there  was  neither  bit  nor  sup  to  be  got.  Which 
also  is  a  reason  for  that  behavior  of  Lady  Biddy's  to  which 
I  have  spoken  as  seeming  unnatural. 

While  she  satisfied  her  own  cravings  she  made  me  eat 
likewise,  whereto  I  was  nowise  loth  myself,  having  eaten 
nothing  for  many  hours  but  a  few  paltry  raisins. 

As  she  sat  on  the  bed,  I  knelt  on  the  ground  by  her  feet 
for  my  better  convenience  in  eating  and  also  conversing  in 
that  low  tone  to  which  we  we  were  constrained.  So  as  we 
ate  I  told  her  how  I  had  come  aboard  and  hidden  myself, 
with  other  matters  which  there  is  no  necessity  to  repeat  ; 
and  this  I  did  with  reasonable  calm,  but  the  abounding  joy 
and  gladness  of  my  heart  to  be  there  alone  with  that  dear 
lady,  kneeling  at  her  very  feet,  listening  to  her  whisper, 
feasting  my  eyes  when  hers  were  on  the  refreshment  and  I 
dared  to  do  so  unseen,  no  pen  can  describe,  as  I  doubt  also 
no  imagination  can  conceive. 

After  she  had  eaten  and  drunk  and  would  no  more,  being 
much  refreshed  and  invigorated,  I  was  for  taking  the  tray 
back  ;  but  here  her  quick  wit  appearing  where  my  dullness 
showed,  she  pointed  out  the  danger,  and  taking  the  tray, 
carried  it  herself  into  the  next  chamber. 


106          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Coming  back  she  seated  herself  on  a  settle  that  ran  along 
one  side  of  the  cabin  and  bidding  me  sit  beside  her,  asked 
how  I  meant  to  contrive  her  escape,  which  indeed  would 
have  been  a  poser  for  me  at  another  time,  but  did  now  to 
my  excited  imagination  appear  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world.  For  when  one's  spirits  are  filled  with  joy  there 
seems  nothing  insurmountable,  as,  on  the  other  hand,  in 
grief  we  can  see  no  way  out  of  our  trouble. 

"  Why,"  says  I,  "  we  need  not  fear  but  we  shall  get  away 
safe  enough,  and  shortly  too.  For,  as  Rodrigues  oblig- 
ingly told  you,  the  company  is  short  of  victuals,  and  must 
therefore  lose  no  time  in  seeking  a  port  where  they  can  re- 
fresh with  meat  and  drink  ;  besides  that,  the  ship  may 
need  looking  to  for  the  damage  she  has  got.  And  being  in 
a  port  where  there  are  Christian  souls,  what  is  to  keep  us 
here  ? " 

"  A  rascal  named  Rodrigues,"  says  Lady  Biddy  very 
pertinently. 

"  Pish  !  "  says  I.  "  I  have  escaped  him  times  enough  to 
know  he  is  a  fool,  for  all  his  pretense  to  cleverness.  Nay, 
have  I  not  hid  myself  under  his  own  cot  in  broad  day  ? 
Not  dreaming  but  you  are  helpless,  he  will  think  you  suffic- 
iently secured  if  he  locks  the  door  and  sets  one  of  his  ras- 
cals to  watch  it.  But  the  stern  gallery  is  open,  and  as  I 
got  in  so  can  I  get  out,  with  the  night  to  give  me  help  and 
better  security." 

*'  Do  you  think  it  will  be  as  easy  for  me  ?  "  asks  Lady 
Biddy  doubtfully. 

"  Ay,  I  shall  make  it  so,  please  God,"  says  I.  "  For  in 
the  night  that  I  swim  to  shore  will  I  bring  back  a  boat,  and 
by  a  ladder  of  ropes  shall  you  get  down  into  it." 

Lady  Biddy  here  nodded  her  head  in  hopeful  approval. 

"  Once  on  shore  we  may  hide  ourselves  safely,  I  do  not 
question,  and  Rodrigues  dare  not  waste  a  long  time  in 
looking  for  us,  since  the  necessity  that  brought  him  hither 
will  also  bring  on  Sir  Bartlemy.  Then  dare  not  these  ras- 
cal pirates  stay,  lest  they  bring  themselves  to  their  well- 
earned  gallows." 

Then  again  Lady  Biddy  nodded  to  show  her  satisfaction, 
clasping  her  little  hands  at  the  same  time,  with  a  sigh  in 
which  all  her  trouble  seemed  to  be  wafted  away.  But  in 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          107 

this  moment  of  our  confidence  on  future  escape  were  we 
brought  to  consciousness  of  our  present  peril  by  the  sudden 
opening  of  the  door  in  the  further  chamber. 

Together  we  started  to  our  feet,  and  my  first  thought 
was  to  fetch  the  jack-knife  from  my  pocket,  but  Lady 
Biddy,  with  that  self-command  which  does  animate  women 
above  men  in  the  hour  of  danger  to  do  the  right  thing  and 
not  the  foolish  one,  quickly  laid  her  hand  on  my  arm  to 
keep  me  still,  and  putting  on  as  stern  an  air  as  any  tragic 
player,  went  to  the  little  betwixt  door  to  ask  Rodrigues 
why  he  dared  disturb  her. 

But  no  Rodrigues  was  there ;  for  it  was  only  the  little 
blackguard  boy  he  had  sent  in  to  know  if  madam  would 
take  a  dish  of  chocolate. 

When  she  had  dismissed  him,  saying  she  needed  no  more 
to-day  (it  being  now  pretty  nigh  sundown,  for  I  have 
bridged  over  many  things),  but  would  have  her  breakfast 
brought  the  next  morning  at  seven,  she  came  back  to  me. 
and  we  continued  to  talk  of  our  escape,  like  any  children 
of  air-castles,  till  the  light  faded. 

And  then  with  some  trouble  I  began  to  see  that  I  must 
presently  go  out  of  that  chamber  ;  and  also  I  think  Lady 
Biddy  grew  uneasy  as  to  how  I  might  conduct  myself  in 
the  darkness  of  night,  and  she,  so  to  speak,  at  my  mercy. 

Again  the  outer  door  opened  ;  and  this  time  the  boy 
came  to  light  the  hanging  lantern.  She  left  the  between 
door  open  when  the  lamp,  was  lit  and  the  boy  again  gone, 
and  by  a  more  cheerful  bearing  seemed  to  feel  more  security 
for  this  light. 

"  Presently,"  says  I,  "  you  will  go  in  and  put  out  that 
lamp." 

"  Why  ?  Is  it  not  more  cheerful  to  have  a  light  ?"  says 
she. 

"  Yes,"  says  I,  "  but  with  that  light  burning  I  dare  not 
go  through  the  next  cabin." 

"  Through  it !  "  says  she,  in  wonder,  and  yet  with  a  little 
fear  in  her  tone  ;  "  whither  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Out  on  the  gallery,"  says  I,  "  where  I  shall  sleep  very 
safely  till  the  morning." 

This  would  she  not  hear  of,  but  would  have  me  lie  in  her 
room  while  she  reposed  on  the  sofett  in  the  next ;  that 


to8          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

would  I  not  allow,  and  so  at  length  we  compromised  it  in 
this  wise  :  she  kept  her  own  chamber  after  putting  out  the 
lamp,  and  I,  having  bolted  the  door  in  the  outer  cabin,  lay 
myself  on  the  cushions,  she  giving  me  her  cloak  that  I 
might  wrap  it  about  me  and  so  seem  to  be  she  if  by  acci- 
dent she  so  overslept  herself  that  she  could  not  admit  me 
to  the  inner  chamber  before  daybreak. 

And  so  with  the  cloak  that  she  had  worn  on  her  dear 
body  pressed  to  my  lips,  I  fell  asleep  that  night  a  hap- 
pier man  than  ever  before  I  had  been  in  all  my  life. 


CHAPTER  XX 

BY   GOOD    HAP   I   DISCOVER   A    FRESH    PIECE   OF   VILLAINY. 

I  SAY  I  fell  asleep  the  happiest  of  men,  with  sweet, 
delightful  thoughts  of  that  dear  creature  who  lay 
separated  from  me  but  by  the  thickness  of  a  few 
paneled  boards  ;  yet  were  my  senses  not  so  completely 
lulled  to  forgetfulness  but  that  they  were  quick  to  take 
alarm  at  that  which  menaced  her  security,  for  suddenly  I 
awoke,  hearing  a  sound  at  that  door  which  opened  to  the 
deck  which  I  had,  as  aforesaid,  made  fast  on  the  inner  side. 

Sitting  bolt  upright  I  could  see  naught,  for  the  darkness 
was  impenetrable  ;  but  it  was  enough  that  I  had  ears  to 
know  some  one  was  trying  the  door.  Slowly  I  heard  the 
latch  grating  as  it  was  lifted  in  the  catch,  and  then  the 
door  creak  as  it  was  pressed  from  without ;  but,  thanks  be 
to  God,  the  bolt  held  firm.  There  was  no  light  on  the 
deck,  or  I  should  have  caught  some  glimmer  through  the 
silk  blinds  of  the  windows  ;  I  could  see  no  more  than  if  I 
had  been  stone  blind.  And  the  only  other  sound  I  heard 
was  a  sweeping  down  of  rain  upon  the  deck  overhead. 
Presently  the  latch  fell  again,  as  my  strained  hearing  could 
well  perceive,  and  then  there  was  a  pause  of  some  minutes, 
when  again  the  latch  was  lifted  slowly,  and  the  door  gave 
a  smart  crack  under  the  pressure  against  it. 

At  the  first  sound  I  had  started  to  my  feet  and  opened 
my  jack-knife  ;  and  thus  I  stood  all  the  while  this  attempt 
was  making,  with  my  hair  on  end  and  my  tongue  cleaving 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          109 

to  my  gullet  in  a  terrible  fear,  not  of  the  mischief  that 
might  befall  me,  but  that  in  such  darkness  I  might  fail  to 
kill  him  who  would  harm  Lady  Biddy. 

The  latch  fell  for  the  second  time,  and  there  was  no 
further  attempt  to  open  the  door,  but  for  a  long  while  I 
stood  there  with  my  knife  clenched  in  my  hand. 

When  I  came  to  reason  on  this  attempt,  I  concluded 
that  Rodrigues  had  no  hand  in  it,  for  it  was  not  his  manner 
to  go  that  way  to  work,  but  rather  some  villain  of  his  crew  ; 
whosoever  it  was,  that  bolt  saved  his  life  for  the  time,  for  I 
do  believe  that  had  he  been  powerful  as  Hercules,  I  should 
have  rent  him  to  pieces  before  he  set  foot  in  the  chamber 
where  Lady  Biddy  lay. 

I  slept  no  more  that  night,  you  may  be  sure,  nor  did  I 
deem  it  safe  to  put  up  my  knife  until  the  windows  in  the 
gallery  becoming  faintly  visible  showed  that  day  was  at 
hand.  And  now,  feeling  there  was  no  further  danger  for 
the  present,  I  opened  the  little  gallery  door,  and  creeping 
out  into  the  rain,  made  a  shift  to  cleanse  myself  somewhat, 
and  set  my  hair  in  order,  using  my  fingers  for  a  comb. 

By  the  time  this  was  done,  and  I  had  gone  back  into  the 
cabin,  and  got  my  coat,  etc.,  our  common  safety  demanded 
that  I  should  arouse  Lady  Biddy,  which  I  did  by  scratch- 
ing gently  against  the  partition  as  we  had  arranged  over- 
night, and  she  replied  by  scratching  the  wainscot  on  her 
side.  When  she  was  dressed  she  came  out  from  her  room, 
and  I  saw  the  upper  part  of  her  graceful  figure  and  her 
small  head,  revealed  against  the  light,  now  bretty  well 
advanced,  on  the  gallery  windows.  Then  stooping  low 
that  I  might  not  likewise  be  revealed  to  any  one  peering 
through  the  fore  windows,  I  crept  into  the  cabin  she  had 
left,  which,  to  my  senses,  was  like  any  flower-garden  with 
the  fresh  perfume  of  her  breath. 

Anon  she  came  back  to  that  chamber,  and  giving  me  her 
hand  told  me  (to  my  questioning)  that  she  had  slept  well ; 
and  I  told  her  nothing  of  what  had  happened  in  the  night, 
that  no  trouble  should  disturb  her  repose  if  it  pleased 
Providence  to  keep  us  prisoners  there  another  night. 

Then  we  fell  to  discoursing  (very  low)  as  to  our  conduct 
during  the  day.  With  reluctance  I  advised  her  to  keep  in 
the  outer  chamber,  that  Rodrigues  might  suspect  nothing, 


1 10          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

owning  that  for  our  deliverance  I  saw  no  better  help  than 
to  be  guided  by  circumstances  as  they  arose. 

She  made  no  objection  to  this  counsel.  "  But,"  says  she, 
"  What  shall  I  do  if  that  villain  comes  to  me  ?  "  (meaning 
Rodrigues.) 

To  this  I  replied  (though  it  went  against  the  grain),  that 
whilst  he  behaved  civilly  she  would  do  well  to  tolerate  his 
visits  and  listen  to  what  he  said.  "  For,"  says  I,  "  though 
you  hold  the  door,  and  exclude  him  for  a  minute,  he  can,  if 
he  will,  burst  it  open,  and  by  thus  bringing  about  one  act 
of  violence  may  you  lead  to  another.  To  force  we  can  only 
oppose  force,  and  his  power  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  ours; 
wherefore  it  behoves  us  to  use  such  strategy  as  we  may,  for 
only  thus  can  we  live  to  take  advantage  of  a  better  oppor- 
tunity." 

"  You  are  right,"  says  she,  with  such  submissiveness  in 
her  voice  as  I  had  never  expected  to  hear.  "  I  will  do  as 
you  bid  me.  But  should  he  overstep  the  bounds  of  civ- 
ility ? " 

"  Then,"  says  I,  grinding  my  teeth,  "  be  sure  that,  what- 
every  may  afterwards  befall,  he  shall  die." 

Soon  after  this  the  boy  raps  at  the  outer  door,  and  brings 
in  Lady  Biddy's  breakfast.  Having  set  it  on  the  table  and 
placed  a  chair  for  her  very  orderly,  he  moves  as  if  he  would 
go  into  the  inner  cabin,  when  Lady  Biddy,  catching  him 
quickly  by  the  arm,  cries  : 

"Wher  are  you  going,  child?  What  do  you  want  in 
there  ? " 

"  Why,  madam,"  says  he,  "  I  am  but  going  to  make  your 
bed,  and  set  your  cabin  in  order,  as  my  master  bade  me." 

"  Nay,"  says  she,  "  I  can  do  all  there  is  to  be  done  my- 
self." 

With  that  she  leads  the  boy  to  the  door  and  sends  him 
away  ;  so  was  I  again  saved  from  discovery. 

To  make  sure  that  no  one  was  watching  her,  Lady  Biddy 
pulled  up  the  blinds  in  the  fore  windows,  and  finding  she 
was  unobserved,  this  kind  soul,  even  before  she  tasted  a 
morsel  herself,  whips  a  portion  of  her  victuals  into  a  dish 
and  brings  it  to  me  for  my  comfort,  and  sure  no  food  was 
ever  so  seasoned  to  excite  the  appetite  as  this  to  which  her 
kindness  gave  its  savor. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          li* 

As  she  brought  the  dish  to  me,  so  she  took  it  away,  and 
at  the  same  time  a  book  from  the  store  of  her  goods  which 
Rodrigues  had  caused  to  be  brought  into  the  cabin. 

Seating  herself  on  the  sofett,  she  disposed  herself  to  read, 
yet  with  little  ability  to  distract  her  thoughts,  for  every  mo- 
ment she  expected  to  see  Rodrigues  ;  and  while  she  was 
thus  empleyed,  the  boy  comes  to  take  away  the  dishes,  etc.,  • 
and  this  being  done  and  the  crumbs  swept  up,  he  again 
crosses  towards  the  inner  cabin.  Whereupon,  in  a  terrible 
taking,  Lady  Biddy,  starting  up  once  more,  checks  him — 

"  Why  will  you  persever  in  entering  my  chamber  ? "  cries 
she,  "  when  I  tell  you  I  will  do  all  that  is  necessary  there  ?  " 

"  'Tis  no  fault  of  mine,"  says  the  child.  "  My  master 
told  me  to  fetch  some  clothes  of  his  from  the  chest,  and  I 
must  do  his  bidding." 

"  Tell  me  what  you  need  and  I  will  get  it,"  says  Lady 
Biddy,  going  to  the  betwixt  door;  and  then  seeing  at  a  glance 
that  I  had  concealed  myself,  she  adds,  in  a  tone  of  indiffer- 
ence, "  Nay,  fetch  them  yourself,"  and  so  goes  back  with  her 
book  to  the  sofett. 

I  had  crept  to  my  old  hiding-place  under  the  cot  when 
the  boy  first  came  into  the  next  cabin,  for  fear  of  accident, 
and  now,  as  I  lay  there,  I  could  see  all  that  he  did.  First  of 
all,  he  went  to  the  chest  and  duly  laid  out  a  suit  of  clothes  ; 
then  taking  a  quick  glance  through  the  half-open  door  to 
make  sure  Lady  Biddy  was  not  observing  him,  he  turns 
about,  and  going  to  one  corner  of  the  cabin,  strips  up  the 
carpet,  does  something  to  the  boards  (which  I  could  not 
see  for  my  position),  and  then  as  swiftly  turns  back  the  car- 
pet  to  its  place.  This  done,  the  little  villain  shuts  to  the 
drawer  of  the  chest  with  a  bang,  and  goes  out  of  the  room 
with  the  clothes  in  his  arms,  as  if  that  had  been  all  his 
errand. 

I  lost  no  time  in  creeping  out  and  crossing  to  that  corner 
of  the  cabin  to  see  what  that  boy  had  been  about  ;  and,  at 
a  glance,  I  perceived  the  whole  business  as  I  turned  back  the 
carpet.  Here,  in  the  boards,  was  a  hinged  hatch  or  trap 
door  with  a  ring  whereby  to  raise  it,  and  a  bolt  to  make  it 
secure — ring,  bolt,  and  hinge  being  sunk  in  the  boards,  flush, 
and  neatly  done  as  any  joiner's  work.  The  bolt  was  slipped 
back  so  that  the  trap  could  be  opened  from  below,  and  I 


112  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

doubted  not  that  this  had  been  the  work  of  that  little  villain 
boy.  Moreover,  as  I  had  concluded  that  he  who  tried  the 
door  in  the  night  was  not  Rodrigues,  so  I  surmised  that 
this  undoing  of  the  hatch  was  not  of  his  ordering  (since 
there  was  no  reason  for  his  going  about  in  this  fashion), 
but  rather  the  independent  measures  of  the  boy  to  get  into 
the  cabin  for  pilfering  purposes,  or  of  some  one  of  the  crew 
who  had  won  over  the  boy  to  his  will  for  more  villainous 
purpose.  For  the  present  I  contented  myself  with  shooting 
back  the  bolt,  returning  the  carpet  to  its  place,  and  getting 
back  to  iny  hiding-place  under  the  cot. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

I  MAKE  A  VOW  TO  SLAY  MY  LADY  BIDDY,  IP  NEEDS  BE. 

A  BOUT  noon  Rodrigues  came  into  the  cabin  where  my 
/\  Lady  Biddy  sat,  with  his  hair  combed,  rings  on  his  fin- 
gers, and  rigged  out  in  a  new  suit  of  clothes — as  fine  as 
any  popinjay.  Taking  off  his  hat  with  a  low  salute,  he  ob- 
served that  the  heavy  rain  was  past,  and  fairer  weather 
might  now  be  expected,  and  so  seated  himself  with  easy  in- 
solence near  Lady  Biddy,  who  thereupon  rose  to  her  feet, 
and  stood  calmly  waiting  for  him  to  announce  his  business 
there. 

"  I  have  come,"  says  he,  "  to  know  if  I  can  add  anything  to 
your  convenience  or  comfort  here  during  the  stay  which,  as 
I  pointed  out  yesterday,  circumstances  have  necessitated." 

"You  can  make  my  captivity  less  intolerable,"  replies 
Lady  Biddy,  "  by  letting  me  know  at  once  when  it  is  to 
end." 

"  If  this  breeze  continues  we  may  fairly  expect  to  be  at 
our  journey's  end  in  four  days,"  says  he. 

"  And  what  do  you  intend  to  do  with  me  then  ?  "  asks 
Lady  Biddy. 

"  Rather  let  me  ask  you,  madam,"  says  he,  with  a  hideous 
smile,  "  what  you  intend  to  do  with  me  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  understand  what  you  mean  by  that,"  replies 
Lady  Biddy. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          113 

"  It  is  for  you  to  command,"  says  he,  "  and  for  me  to 
obey  in  anything  that  is  possible." 

"  If  I  demand  my  freedom — liberty  to  return  to  my 
friends  ! "  says  she,  perplexed  by  his  sophistry,  for  she 
knew  full  well  that  this  seeming  compliance  was  but  a  mask 
and  a  snare. 

"  Certainly,"  says  he,  still  with  that  hideous  smile,  "  noth- 
ing can  be  more  reasonable  ;  and  if  it  will  give  you  happi- 
ness and  promote  that  better  opinion  of  me,  which  I  hope 
one  day  you  will  entertain,  I  shall  do  my  utmost  to  help 
you  to  find  your  friends." 

Lady  Biddy  knew  not  what  response  to  make  to  this  fine 
speech,  his  promises  being  far  too  good  to  accept  for  his 
true  intent ;  so  she  waited,  looking  at  him  to  continue,  but 
with  much  disgust  and  loathing,  for  there  was  lust  in  his 
face  and  devilish  wickedness  in  his  eyes,  as  leaning  back  on 
the  sofett  he  surveyed  her  person  from  head  to  foot,  and 
again  brought  his  gaze  slowly  up  to  her  face. 

"  Pardon  me,"  says  he,  "  your  beauty  distracts  my 
thoughts  from  the  subject  of  our  conversation.  Where  was 
I  ?  Ah,  yes.  Santiago  de  Le"on  de  Caracas,  whither  we 
are  now  sailing,  is  an  agreeable  place.  I  have  friends  there. 
You  must  know  that  I  am  a  Spanish  gentleman  by  birth. 
There  is  a  palace  on  the  side  of  a  hill  facing  the  sea  which 
I  think  will  prove  to  your  taste.  You  who  have  lived  al- 
ways in  England  can  have  no  idea  of  the  beauty  of  the 
country.  I  am  sure  you  will  be  enchanted  with  it." 

"  What  is  this  country  or  its  palaces  to  me  ? "  cries  Lady 
Biddy,  beginning  to  see  his  drift. 

"  You  must  have  a  roof  to  shelter  you,  and  I  could  offer 
nothing  less  than  a  palace." 

"  I  ask  but  my  liberty  that  I  may  return  to  my  friends  in 
England." 

"  As  you  please,"  says  he,  airily.  "  I  think  you  will 
change  your  mind  when  you  see  what  a  lovely  place  I  pro- 
pose for  your  home.  However,  if,  after  seeing  it,  you  are 
still  minded  to  return  to  England,  to  England  you  shall  re- 
turn. It  will  not  be  far  out  of  that  course  to  run  round  by 
the  mouth  of  the  Oronoque  and  take  up  poor  Sir  Harry 
Smidmore,  if  he  be  still  on  the  island  where  the  mutineers 
left  him.  Nor  is  there  any  reason  why  you  should  not 


114  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

cruise  about  in  search  of  your  uncle,  Sir  Bartlemy  Pengilly. 
Thus  would  your  pleasure  in  going  home  be  unmarred  by 
any  anxiety  on  account  of  absent  friends." 

Once  more  did  he  pause  to  gloat  on  the  perplexity  and 
trouble  in  that  dear  face,  which  I  warrant  was  become 
deadly  pale  with  dreadful  apprehension.  His  delight  in 
her  torture  was  like  nothing  but  the  pleasure  of  some  cat 
that  plays  with  a  poor  mouse  before  tearing  it  with  cruel 
talons.  Nay,  I  have  observed  that  some  men  of  the  baser 
sort  do  strangely  mingle  cruelty  with  that  sort  of  love  they 
cherish,  so  that  you  will  see  such  fellows  take  pleasure  in 
making  women  weep. 

"  For  my  own  part,"  continues  this  Rodrigues,  with  cool 
audacity,  "  it  is  no  matter  whether  I  live  in  the  Indies  or  in 
Cornwall,  so  that  I  be  in  your  company." 

Thus  did  this  wicked  cynic  so  reveal  his  intent  that  Lady 
Biddy  could  no  longer  doubt  what  was  behind.  Yet  did 
she  strive  to  control  her  indignation,  with  the  faint  hope 
that  she  misjudged  his  meaning. 

"  I  do  not  ask  you  to  go  to  England,"  says  she.  "  All  I 
beg  is  that  you  set  me  ashore,  and  let  me  make  my  way 
home  as  God  shall  please  to  guide  me." 

"  That  is  impossible,  and  I  should  be  unworthy  of  your 
respect  if  I  consented  to  such  a  course.  Beauty  such  as 
yours  is  too  rare  at  Santiago  to  be  set  light  store  by.  Be- 
lieve me,  you  would  never  be  suffered  to  leave  that  city  if 
once  you  set  foot  in  it.  You  would  become  the  slave  and 
property  of  the  first  who  could  lay  his  hand  on  you.  I  my- 
self should  not  dare  to  take  you  on  shore  till  a  priest  had 
given  me  a  legal  right  to  possess  you." 

"  What !  "  cries  she,  losing  control  of  her  temper  ;  "  do 
you  think  I  will  ever  consent  to  become  your  wife  ? " 

"  Yes,"  he  replies,  "  I  think  you  will  when  you  consider 
the  matter  calmly." 

And  with  that  he  rose,  as  if  to  give  her  opportunity  for 
reflection.  But  now,  her  spirit  terribly  moved  with  right- 
eous anger,  she  stopped  him. 

"  Villain,"  says  she,  "  do  you  refuse  to  give  me  my 
liberty  ? " 

"  If  you  mean  do  I  refuse  to  abandon  you  to  such  a  fate 
as  would  be  yours  in  being  set  alone  on  shore  at  Caracas,  I 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  "5 

reply  yes,"  says  he,  with  less  hypocrisy  and  plainer  than  he 
had  yet  spoken.  "  If  you  refuse  to  be  the  wife  of  a  Spanish 
gentleman  you  shall  certainly  not  become  the  slave  of  a 
mongrel  peasant." 

"  You  intend  to  keep  me  an  unwilling  prisoner  on  board 
this  ship  ? " 

"  I  do,"  says  he,  "  in  the  hope — nay,  in  the  firm  belief — 
that  you  will  willingly  agree  to  be  my  wife  by  the  time  we 
reach  England." 

"In  England  there  are  gallows  for  such  rascal  pirates  as 
you." 

"  No,"  says  he,  catching  hold  of  her  arm  ere  she  could 
escape  his  touch,  and  holding  her  firmly — "  not  when  they 
have  friends  to  protect  them,  and  have  the  wit  to  close  the 
mouths  of  enemies.  No  one  will  bring  disgrace  on  Lady 
Biddy  by  hanging  her  husband  and  the  father  of  her  child- 
ren. For  my  sake,  to  save  me  from  the  gallows,  you  will 
consent  to  become  my  wife.  If  that  be  not  sufficient  rea- 
son, then  you  will  marry  me  for  your  own  sake.  The  wife 
of  Don  Sanchez  Rodrigues  de  Arevalo  may  hold  up  her 
head  in  the  King's  court  ;  but  the  mistress  of  Rodrigues, 
the  pirate,  flung  ashore  at  Plymouth,  dare  not  crawl  to 
show  her  face  at  Falmouth.  You  will  see,"  adds  he,  free- 
ing her  arm,  and  with  a  return  to  his  former  hypocritical 
fair  seeming — "  you  will  see  that  what  I  propose  is  entirely 
to  your  advantage,  and  inevitable  as  the  setting  of  the 
sun." 

Thereupon  he  makes  her  another  low  obeisance,  turns  on 
his  heel,  and  struts  out  of  the  cabin. 

All  these  particulars  did  Lady  Biddy  lay  before  me 
when  she  had  bolted  the  door  after  Rodrigues'  departure 
and  come  into  the  next  chamber,  which  she  could  well  do 
at  that  time  without  arousing  suspicion.  Many  times  she 
paused  and  could  not  speak  for  indignation  and  offended 
pride  ;  nay,  I  think  she  would  have  kept  this  matter  to 
herself,  but  that  I  pressed  her  to  tell  all  for  my  better 
guidance.  Tears  she  had  not  one,  for  passion  held  them 
back. 

"  Does  he  think,"  says  she,  with  scorn  that  scarce  per- 
mitted her  to  bate  her  voice— "  does  he  think  that  ever  I  will 
live  to  be  his  slave  ?  I  could  cut  this  arm  off  because  his 


Il6  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

foul  hand  has  touched  it.  I  will  die  a  thousand  deaths 
rather  than  submit  to  such  injury.  Promise  me,  Benet,  that 
if  you  hear  me  cry  for  help — " 

"  Fear  not,"  says  I,  interrupting  her.  "  My  knife  was 
drawn,  and  I  stood  ready  by  the  little  door  all  the  time  I 
heard  the  muttering  of  his  voice  in  there.  So  will  I  stand 
prepared  when  next  he  comes,  and  be  assured  I  will  have 
his  life  if  you  cry  to  me." 

"  Nay,"  says  she  ;  "  take  my  life  first  and  his  after,  for  I 
would  not  outlive  my  shame." 

I  tried  to  sooth  her  mind,  which  was  over-much  exalted, 
and  bade  her  not  think  of  death  while  any  hope  remained, 
but  rather  trust  to  my  ability  to  effect  our  escape  when  we 
came  to  that  port  he  had  spoken  of. 

"  And  now,"  says  I,  "  do  pray  go  back,  and  seem  to 
make  light  of  this  matter  ;  for  I  fear  that  if  he  be  un- 
deceived in  his  hopes  he  may  bring  the  business  to  an  ex- 
tremity before  we  get  near  land.  Remember,  my  lady,  'tis 
not  your  own  honor  alone  you  have  to  consider,  though 
tnat  be  paramount  to  all,  but  the  peace  of  Sir  Bartlemy 
and,"  adds  I,  with  an  effort,  "  your  poor  lover,  Sir  Harry. 
Wherefore,  for  their  sakes,  must  we  fight  this  villain  with 
his  own  weapons — meeting  subtlety  with  subtlety  ;  and  for 
some  little  while,  if  you  may  subdue  your  proud  spirit,  it 
will  be  well  to  let  him  opine  you  will  in  time  come  round 
to  his  way  of  thinking." 

"  I  understand  you,  Benet,"  says  she  calmly.  "  You 
fear  if  he  thinks  my  resolution  invincible  he  may  " — she 
paused,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands,  and  added, 
leaving  a  blank  where  she  could  not  utter  her  thought — 
"  before  we  reach  Caracas." 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  I  do  fear,"  says  I. 

"  I  will  do  my  best,  Benet,"  says  she,  "  to  follow  your 
guidance,  which  I  see  is  wise  and  good.  Yet,  if  I  fail — 
if— if— " 

"  Nay,  I  know  what  you  would  say  ;  and  here,"  says  I, 
dropping  on  my  knees  beside  her — "  here  I  swear  that  at 
your  cry  for  help  I  will  slay  both  him  and  you." 

"  And  with  equal  sincerity,  Benet,  I  promise  you  I  will 
not  give  that  signal  for  my  death  until  it  is  needed." 

There  was  no  need  to  explain  these  words  more  fully. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  II? 

We  both  understood  that  her  dishonor  was  alone  to  call 
for  this  sole  remedy.  And,  still  on  my  knees,  I  vowed  that 
I  also  would  not  live  to  bear  the  memory  of  her  fate. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

I    RECKON    TO    HAVE    MADE   ONE   ENEMY    THE   LESS,    BUT   D» 
FIND    MYSELF    MISTAKEN    GEIEVOUSLY. 

LADY  BIDDY  returned  to  the  other  cabin,  and  there 
sat  where  she  might  be  seen  from  the  deck,  the  while 
she  pretended  to  be  vastly  interested  in  her  book,  in 
order  to  beguile  Rodrigues  in  his  fool's  hope  ;  for  surely  to 
see  her  thus  unconcerned  must  have  led  him  to  believe  her 
passion  of  no  great  depth  or  sincerity. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  adjoining  cabin,  I  revolved  a  thousand 
schemes  in  my  head  concerning  our  condition,  which  so 
engrossed  my  thoughts  as  all  recollection  of  the  trap-door 
found  no  place  there. 

But  in  the  evening,  when  Lady  Biddy  came  in  with  a 
portion  of  the  victuals  which  had  been  laid  out  for  her 
supper  by  the  little  blackguard  boy,  and  I  asked  her  if  she 
had  seen  aught  of  Rodrigues,  she  replied  that  out  of  the 
corner  of  her  eye  she  had  perceived  him  once  watching  her. 

"  But,"  says  she,  "  I  know  not  but  that  he  has  some  fresh 
device  in  mind,  for  there  has  been  a  great  Afric  negro  past 
the  window  half  a  dozen  times,  and  on  each  occasion  he 
has  grinned  with  his  big  mouth  so  that  I  am  quite  at  a  loss 
what  to  make  of  him." 

I  asked  her  to  describe  this  fellow  to  me,  which  she  did 
closely,  telling  me  he  was  over  six  feet  high  and  propor- 
tionate in  girth,  with  a  flat  nose  spread  upon  his  shining 
black  face,  and  a  huge  mouth  projecting  like  any  ape's. 

By  these  tokens  I  recalled  to  mind  such  a  blackamoor 
fighting  beside  Rodrigues  at  that  time  I  first  boarded  the 
Black  Death.  But  what  this  purpose  might  be  in  passing 
the  cabin  window  and  grinning  at  Lady  Biddy  perplexed 
me  as  greatly  as  it  did  her,  until  of  a  sudden  I  bethought 
me  of  the  attempt  to  enter  the  cabin  in  the  night,  and  of 
the  boy  unbolting  the  trap. 


*l8          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAME. 

"  Did  you  see  him  at  any  time  in  company  with  the  little 
wretch  who  waits  on  you  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Lady  Biddy.  "  Indeed  from  his  handing 
a  dish  to  the  boy  I  am  disposed  to  believe  he  is  the  cook." 

This  so  strengthened  my  suspicions  that  I  could  make 
no  reply  ;  for  though  I  would  fain  have  spared  Laddy 
Biddy  any  further  addition  to  her  anxiety,  yet  could  I  see 
no  way  of  concealing  this  new  peril  from  her  without  adding 
to  her  danger. 

"  Do  you  not  think,  Benet,"  says  she  presently,  "  that 
there  is  some  new  design  of  Rodrigues  in  this  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  I  am  rather  disposed  to  believe  that 
this  is  some  new  enemy  your  beauty  has  created,  and  that 
this  heathen  negro  has  a  mind  to  possess  you  before  his 
master." 

She  shuddered,  and  sank  down  as  if  overwhelmed  with 
this  new  horror. 

Then  I  told  her  of  the  attempt  to  enter  the  cabin  by 
night,  and  of  the  boy's  villainy,  showing  her  the  hatch 
straightway. 

"  However,"  says  I,  "  be  assured  that  you  run  no  greater 
risk  from  him  than  from  the  other  villain.  But  I  must  beg 
you  to  repose  as  best  you  may  in  the  big  cabin  to-night, 
and  leave  this  chamber  to  me  and  the  negro.  We  must 
rid  ourselves  of  our  enemies  one  at  a  time,  with  God's  help." 

"  Surely  you  do  not  intend  to  let  him  enter  by  that  trap- 
door, Benet  ? " 

"  Yes,  says  I,  "  that  way  must  he  come  to  the  end  he 
deserves.  God  knows  I  have  no  taste  to  the  taking  of  life  ; 
but  this  wretch  seeks  our  undoing  ;  not  we  his.  In  self- 
defense  I  must  kill  him." 

"  But  may  you  not  as  well  foil  him  by  shooting  the  bolt 
of  the  trap-door,  Benet  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  I,  "  for  that  will  only  lead  him  to  seek  other 
means  which  we  may  not  be  prepared  to  frustrate.  With  a 
rope  he  may  let  himself  down  into  the  gallery  beyond  your 
cabin." 

"  I  will  run  that  risk,"  says  she,  "  rather  than  you  shall 
jeopardize  your  life  for  me.  You  will  still  be  at  hand  to 
fulfill  your  promise,  whether  my  enemy  be  this  black  or 
Rodrigues.  At  the  worst  we  can  but  die." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  lip 

"  Ay,  that  is  true,"  says  I,  transported  with  delight  at 
this  dear  girl's  concern  for  my  safety  ;  "  but  we  must 
endeavor  for  the  best  rather  than  await  the  worst,  and  I 
make  no  doubt  but  that  all  will  go  well  if  you  let  me  have 
my  way.  Nay,  you  must,"  I  added,  firmly. 

And  this  firmness  taking  effect  on  her  judgment  (for 
women  respect  nothing  so  much  as  decision  in  a  man),  she 
consented  to  do  as  I  directed. 

When  night  fell  she  bolted  the  door  of  the  outer  cabin, 
drew  her  blinds,  lowered  the  wick  of  the  lamp  till  it  shed 
but  a  mere  glimmer,  and  sought  repose  on  the  sofett, 
though  little  disposed  to  sleep. 

Meanwhile,  having  drawn  the  bolt  of  the  hatch  and 
returned  the  carpet  to  its  place,  I  knelt  down  beside  it  with 
my  knife  in  my  hand,  and  no  mercy  in  my  heart. 

Again  this  night  was  pitch  dark,  though  it  rained  not,  so 
that  no  light  came  into  the  cabin,  and  I  could  see  nothing 
whatever  save  a  thin  thread  of  light  under  the  betwixt 
door,  and  that  but  dim  because  of  the  lamp  being  low  in  the 
next  cabin.  But  if  my  eyes  were  useless  to  me,  my  ears 
served  me  well,  and  no  sound  in  the  ship  escaped  me  ;  yet 
I  heard  nothing  of  importance  for  many  hours,  as  it  seemed 
to  me.  A  long  while  it  must  have  been,  for  several  times 
I  had  to  shift  my  position  because  of  being  cramped  in  my 
legs  by  kneeling  so  long  in  one  position. 

At  length  an  unusual  sound  (but  very  slight)  reached  my 
ear,  and  putting  my  head  to  the  floor,  I  did  distinctly  hear 
the  creak  of  wood,  such  as  a  ladder  might  make  und'er  the 
weight  of  a  heavy  body.  Then,  lifting  my  head  and  tighten- 
ing my  muscles,  I  grasped  my  knife,  and  prepared  for  the 
stroke. 

Presently  a  fresh  sound  warned  me  that  my  enemy  had 
come  to  the  trap  ;  but  whether  he  had  it  opened  or  not  I 
could  not  tell  for  the  darkness,  so  that  1  was  forced  to 
reach  forward  with  my  left  hand  to  feel  whether  the  hatch 
was  up  or  down. 

The  floor  was  still  level. 

I  waited,  trusting  to  my  ears  to  tell  me  by  the  grating 
of  the  carpet  on  the  edge  of  the  hatch  when  it  was  raised. 
Yet  heard  I  never  a  sound  for  his  great  circumspection, 
though  expecting  it  for  half  an  hour  at  least,  as  I  judge ; 


120          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

so  that  in  the  end,  thinking  I  had  been  mistaken  as  to  the 
sound  I  had  heard  at  first,  or  that  the  wretch  at  the  last 
moment  had  gone  from  his  design,  I  stretched  forth  my 
left  hand  once  more  to  feel  the  floor.  But,  lo  !  instead  of 
touching  the  carpet  as  I  thought  to  do,  my  hand  fell  plump 
on  the  negro's  head,  as  I  knew  to  my  certainty  by  the 
short,  wiry  curls  that  distinguished  his  hair  from  other 
men's. 

I  did  not  hesitate  for  one  moment,  but  clutching  his 
hair  firmly  with  my  left  hand,  I  stabbed  my  knife  down 
where  I  thought  his  neck  might  be. 

I  knew  I  had  not  missed  him,  for  I  felt  my  knife  scrape 
along  a  bone,  and  his  warm  blood  gush  over  my  hand,  yet 
where  I  could  not  tell. 

Without  a  cry  (Heaven  be  praised  !)  he  fell.  Nor  could 
I  (having  thrown  my  whole  might  on  him)  help  but  fall 
with  him ;  so  down  I  went,  heels  over  head  through  the 
hatchway,  but  happily  by  the  incline  of  the  steps  below, 
and  striking  on  the  negro's  carcase  when  I  got  to  the 
bottom,  I  escaped  this  bout  with  no  more  injury  than  a 
scraped  shin  and  a  bruised  elbow.  My  chief  concern  was 
that  the  noise  of  our  fall  had  alarmed  some  of  the  ship's 
company  ;  and  getting  quickly  on  my  feet  I  listened  for  a 
minute  in  terrible  suspense. 

Then  from  above  I  heard  Lady  Biddy  whisper,  anxiously, 
"  Benet  !  Benet !  " 

"  All's  well— all's  well !  "  I  answered,  softly.  "  Go  back 
to  the  cabin  and  move  about  that  the  watch  may  think  you 
made  the  noise." 

This  she  did,  leaving  the  betwixt  door  open,  and  raising 
the  light  of  the  lamp,  as  I  could  see  by  the  square  patch 
above,  where  the  light  gleamed  faintly  through  the  hatch- 
way. 

Casting  my  eyes  around  that  I  might,  if  possible,  find 
out  my  position,  I  spied  a  little  lantern  not  far  off,  hidden 
away  between  two  barrels.  And  a  perilous  thing  it  seemed 
to  place  it  there,  for  at  a  glance  I  perceived  that  these  were 
barrels  of  powder,  and  many  other  like  barrels  were  ranged 
along  that  side.  But  seamen,  by  being  constantly  exposed 
to  danger,  do  get  to  be  wondrous  reckless  and  foolhardy, 
and  none  more  so  than  these  pirates 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          121 

Taking  away  the  lantern  and  lifting  it  high,  I  saw  that 
the  walls  were  hung  and  fitted  with  muskets,  swords,  pikes, 
and  all  sorts  of  weapons,  whereby  it  was  made  clear  to  me 
that  I  had  pitched  down  into  the  ship's  armory.  Further, 
this  explained  the  reason  of  there  being  a  way  of  communi- 
cation with  the  captain's  cabin  ;  for  in  case  of  mutiny 
(which  pirates  must  always  look  to  encounter),  Rodrigues 
could  close  the  armory  from  within,  and  provision  himself 
and  his  followers  for  their  defense  of  the  roundhouse  or 
coach. 

From  this  store  I  thought  it  not  amiss  to  furnish  myself 
with  a  good  sheath-dagger  in  place  of  my  jack-knife,  which 
either  I  had  not  drawn  from  the  negro  after  stabbing  him, 
or  had  dropped  from  my  hand  in  falling  down  from  above. 
As  I  went  to  take  the  weapon  I  wanted  from  the  wall,  my 
foot  kicked  against  something  round  on  the  ground,  and, 
looking  down,  I  perceived  there  a  pile  of  hand-grenades, 
and  this  at  once  put  me  in  mind  how  I  might,  at  any  moment, 
destroy  the  ship  with  every  soul  it  contained.  For  by  cast- 
ing one  of  those  grenades  amongst  the  powder,  such  an 
explosion  would  be  caused  as  should  rend  every  timber 
asunder,  and  in  one  moment  blow  all  living  creatures  from 
the  ship  into  eternity. 

I  took  up  a  grenade,  and,  examining  it.  found  that  it 
was  properly  fitted  with  a  fusee ;  so,  turning  it  about  in 
my  hand,  I  reflected  how  sure  and  quick  it  would  be  to 
our  destruction,  and  how  preferable  to  any  death  I  might 
deal  with  a  blade.  Finally  my  heart  sickening  at  the 
thought  of  having  to  plunge  a  knife  in  Lady  Biddy's 
bosom,  I  resolved  that  if  her  escape  from  shame  could 
only  be  wrought  by  death,  I  would  use  this  grenade,  that 
we  should  perish  together  at  the  same  instant. 

This  cogitation  put  the  intention  of  arming  myself  with  a 
short  dagger  quite  out  of  my  mind,  and  being  now  beset 
with  a  fear  lest  Lady  Biddy  should  be  alarmed  by  my  ab- 
sence, I  hastened  to  return,  carrying  the  lantern  in  one 
hand  and  my  grenade  in  the  other. 

I  had  light  enough  to  descry  the  steps  that  led  to  the 
trap-door,  and  thither  I  made  my  way.  Presently  I 
stumbled  against  the  body  of  the  negro.  He  lay  doubled 
up  betwixt  the  side  of  the  steps  and  a  pile  of  cannon-balls. 


122  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  PANE. 

and  from  his  position  I  surmised  that  he  had  rolled  over  in 
falling  and  struck  head  first  upon  the  balls,  which  alone 
would  have  been  death  to  any  ordinary  man. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  cabin,  and  fastened  down  the 
trap,  I  set  my  grenade  carefully  under  the  cot,  and  by  the 
side  of  it  the  lantern,  lowering  the  wick  (for  it  was  fitted 
with  an  oil  lamp  in  lieu  of  a  candle),  until  there  was  left 
but  the  smallest  light  possible.  Burning  at  this  little  pace, 
I  reckoned  the  lamp  would  go  some  days,  with  attention, 
and  I  prayed  it  might  last  till  we  reached  a  port  where 
we  might  escape ;  for  without  it  to  ignite  the  fusee  my 
grenade  would  be  of  no  use. 

While  I  was  yet  arranging  those  matters,  Lady  Biddy 
came  to  me. 

"  You  are  not  hurt,  Benet  ? "  were  the  first  words  she 
whispered. 

"  No,  Lady  Biddy,"  says  I  ;  "  but  you  have  one  enemy 
the  less." 

She  made  no  reply,  but  rested  her  hand  for  support  upon 
the  bed,  as  if  the  thought  of  this  death  sickened  her. 

I  slipped  my  right  hand  behind  me  lest  she  should  see  the 
black  patch  which,  even  in  that  faint  light,  I  perceived  the 
negro's  blood  had  stained  my  hand  with.  Then,  to  turn 
her  thoughts,  I  asked  her  if  any  notice  had  been  taken  by  the 
watch  of  the  noise  made  by  my  falling  down  the  hatchway. 

"  No,"  says  she  ;  and  then  after  a  few  minutes'  silence, 
"  Oh,  Benet,  I  wish  it  were  all  over." 

"  Courage,  Lady  Biddy,  courage,"  says  I.  "  You  are  not 
used  to  give  way  in  the  face  of  danger." 

"  No,"  says  she  ;  "  'tis  when  the  danger  is  past  my  cour- 
age sinks." 

But  the  danger  was  not  passed,  as  was  presently  made 
evident.  For  in  that  space  of  silence  which  succeeded  her 
last  words — a  silence  which  was  scarce  broken  by  the  water 
through  which  the  ship  was  cutting — a  groan  from  below 
reached  my  ears,  and  the  next  instant  a  creaking  of  the 
steps  leading  up  to  the  trap,  with  something  like  the  low, 
vengeful  growling  of  a  tiger. 

I  sprang  to  the  corner  to'make  sure  that  I  had  secured 
the  trap,  for  I  felt  sure  that  the  negro  was  coming  up  to 
take  his  revenge  upon  us. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          123 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

HOW  RODRIGUES  GOT  AT  THE  TRUTH,  AND  A  LIE  INTO 
THE  BARGAIN. 

HEARING  these  sounds,  I  say,  I  was  assured  that  the 
negro  did  intend  to  burst  open  the  trap  and  take  re- 
venge for  the  wound  I  had  dealt  him,  and  I  have  good 
reason  to  believe  that  this  was  his  intent  and  purpose,  for 
standing  on  the  hatch  to  lend  strength  to  the  bolt  that  se- 
cured it,  I  felt  it  move  beneath  my  feet  ;  nay,  the  very 
boards  cracked  under  the  force  of  his  broad  shoulders 
against  it. 

But  this  prodigious  effort  was  too  much  for  the  strength 
of  the  wounded  wretch.  Presently  we  heard  a  hoarse  cry 
of  rage,  and  then  a  heavy  fall,  as  if  he  had  yielded  to  a 
faintness  and  pitched  down  once  more  to  the  ground. 

After  that  we  heard  no  movement  below,  nor  any  sound 
whatever ;  neither  was  any  further  attempt  made  to  raise 
the  trap. 

Seeing  that  Lady  Biddy  was  very  much  overwrought 
by  this  excitement  and  her  previous  want  of  rest,  I  im- 
plored her  to  return  to  the  other  cabin  and  seek  repose — 
pointing  out  that  we  had  no  more  to  fear  from  the  black, 
and  promising  that,  should  anything  happen  to  the  con- 
trary, I  would  not  fail  to  let  her  know.  And  listening  at 
length  to  my  persuasions,  she  went  back  as  I  bade  her, 
lowered  the  wick  of  her  lamp,  and  did,  after  awhile,  as  she 
told  me  in  the  morning,  unconsciously  fall  asleep.  For  my 
own  part,  I  spent  the  rest  of  that  night  seated  on  the  hatch, 
never  once  closing  my  eyes  or  relaxing  my  watch. 

In  the  morning  Lady  Biddy,  coming  to  me,  whispered 
that  search  was  being  made  for  the  negro  ;  indeed,  I  could 
with  my  own  ears  hear  the  men  bellowing  in  different 
parts,  "  Tonga  !  Tonga  !  "  which  was  the  name  of  this 
fellow. 

I  bade  Lady  Biddy  go  back  again  to  her  cabin,  and  seem 
to  know  nothing  of  what  this  search  meant. 

Soon  after  she  had  returned  there,  Rodrigues  comes  to 
her,  and,  with  a  vast  show  of  respect  and  consideration, 
begged  she  would  have  patience  to  wait  a  little  while  for 


124          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

her  breakfast,  as  the  cook  was  not  at  his  post,  and  could 
not  be  found. 

"  I  remarked  his  manner  was  strange  all  day  yesterday," 
says  he,  "and  it  is  as  like  as  not  he  has  thrown  himself 
overboard  in  a  fit  of  madness,  produced  by  the  heat  of  the 
sun.  However,"  he  adds,  "this  accident  shall  not  inter. 
fere  with  your  convenience,  for  I  will  dress  your  victuals 
with  my  own  hands  rather  than  they  shall  be  ill-served." 
And  with  this  polite  speech  he  makes  his  congt  and  leaves 
my  lady. 

At  noon,  when  the  boy  had  served  the  dinner,  Rodrigues 
came  again  to  apologize  for  the  quality  of  the  food,  saying 
that  they  had  run  short  of  provisions  with  having  been  so 
long  at  sea,  but  that  he  hoped  to  provide  her  with  fresh 
meat  and  fruit  before  twenty-four  hours,  as  land  was  in 
sight,  and  he  counted  to  cast  anchor  the  following  morn- 
ing. 

Lady  Biddy  replied  as  graciously  as  she  could  to  one 
whom  she  so  loathed  and  despised,  and  in  this  (despite  her 
natural  repugnance  to  hypocrisy  or  deceit)  her  wit  was 
aided  by  the  comfort  of  this  news,  and  the  knowledge  that 
our  chance  of  escape  would  be  greatly  aided  by  lulling 
Rodrigues'  suspicion. 

He  said  not  a  word  about  marriage,  and  indeed  behaved 
himself  with  becoming  civility  ;  and  to  make  him  believe 
that  he  had  succeeded  in  producing  a  more  favorable  im- 
pression on  herself,  Lady  Biddy  begged  him,  when  he  was 
going,  to  leave  the  door  wide  open  that  she  might  have  the 
benefit  of  the  air. 

About  two  o'clock,  when  all  the  company  were  resting 
(for  in  these  latitudes  it  is  impossible  to  work  while  the 
sun  is  in  the  meridian),  Lady  Biddy  came  into  the  little 
cabin,  and  with  great  glee  told  me  what  had  passed  and 
how  we  were  nearing  land. 

"  But,"  says  she,  "  if  we  come  to  an  anchor  in  the  morn- 
ing, will  it  be  possible  to  escape  in  broad  daylight  ? " 

"  No,"  says  I  ;  "  that  we  can  not,  unless  we  should  get 
away  when  all  are  taking  their  noon  rest.  But  there  is  no 
necessity  to  run  great  peril  by  haste.  Water,  I  doubt  not, 
is  what  is  much  needed.  As  Rodrigues  said  nothing  about 
reaching  a  port,  it  is  pretty  evident  he  is  running  to  land 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          125 

for  the  immediate  refreshment  of  his  company.  They  will 
not  be  content  getting  on  shore  to  embark  again  at  once 
even  if  they  succeed  in  finding  a  freshet  for  the  filling  of 
their  barrels.  Any  way  I  feel  certain  we  shall  not  lift 
anchor  again  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  that  will  give  us 
the  night  to  make  our  escape  in." 

Satisfied  with  this  assurance,  Lady  Biddy  returned  to  the 
next  cabin,  after  bathing  her  sweet  hands  and  face,  leaving 
me  to  turn  over  in  my  mind  a  hundred  schemes  for  our 
deliverance  ;  yet  none  could  I  hit  on  but  what  seemed  des- 
perate in  the  extreme. 

Nothing  occurred  to  disturb  Lady  Biddy's  repose  the 
succeeding  night,  to  her  great  refreshment  no  less  to  my 
satisfaction. 

Shortly  after  daybreak  there  was  much  bustle  on  deck, 
and  presently  I  heard  the  anchor  drop,  whereupon,  as  if  the 
moment  of  our  release  were  come,  my  heart  bounded  with 
joy,  and  I  scraped  at  the  wall  to  awake  Lady  Biddy.  By 
her  quick  reply,  I  knew  that  the  sound  had  aroused  her, 
and  she  had  divined  its  meaning. 

Then  there  arose  a  great  hallooing  and  shouting  amongst 
the  men,  who  seemed  no  less  pleased  than  we,  though  from 
another  cause.  But  there  was  yet  much  to  be  done  before 
a  boat  could  be  sent  ashore.  However,  the  fellows  set 
about  their  work  with  a  will,  and  now  there  was  nothing 
but  singing  and  laughing  over  it,  whereas  before  they  had 
gone  about  their  business  in  sullen  silence. 

It  may  have  been  about  eight  o'clock  when  the  merriment 
on  board  was  of  a  sudden  hushed,  and  Lady  Biddy,  looking 
from  the  door  to  see  what  this  might  mean,  perceived  a 
seaman  coming  up  the  hatchway  in  the  fore  part  of  the  ship, 
with  a  jar  and  a  bundle  in  one  hand,  and  dragging  the  cook's 
boy  up  by  the  hair  of  his  head  with  the  other.  Being  come 
on  deck  he  lead  the  urchin,  crying  lustily,  towards  Rod- 
rigues,  who  was  standing  not  far  from  the  roundhouse. 

"  I've  watched  the  little  hound  as  you  bid  me,  your  honor," 
says  the  man,  addressing  Rodrigues  ;  "  and  I  ketched  him 
sneaking  down  below  with  these  here,  which  he  dropped 
when  he  sees  me,  whereby  I  knowed  he  was  up  to  no  good." 

"What  are  those? "asks  Rodrigues,  indicating  the  jar 
and  the  bundle. 


126  THE   ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  A  noggin  o'  water,  your  honor,"  says  the  seaman ; 
"  and,"  he  adds  (undoing  the  clout),  "  a  mess  o'  wittles. 
Axed  me  not  to  tell  you,  your  honor." 

"  Whom  were  you  taking  those  things  to  ? "  asks  Rod- 
rigues. 

"  No  one,  your  honor,"  cries  the  boy,  whimpering.  "  I 
was  agoing  to  eat  'em  myself." 

"  Whom  were  you  taking  them  to  ? "  Rodrigues  repeats, 
in  the  same  even  tone. 

The  boy  looked  at  him,  and,  clasping  his  wretched  little 
hands,  cried  for  mercy. 

"  Overboard  with  him,"  says  Rodrigues. 

A  couple  of  men  seized  hold  of  him. 

"  Spare  me  !  spare  me  ! "  cries  the  child.  "  I'll  tell  if 
you'll  only  spare  me." 

"  Out  with  it !  "  says  Rodrigues. 

"  I  was  carrying  'em  to  Tonga." 

Rodrigues  hereupon  nodded  to  a  group  of  fellows,  who, 
taking  the  boy  for  their  guide,  went  forward  and  so  down 
the  hatchway  below.  Meanwhile,  the  captain  turned  upon 
his  heel,  so  that  he  faced  the  window  where  Lady  Biddy 
was  watching,  and  she  observed  that  there  was  a  malicious 
smile  on  his  wicked  face,  as  though  he  was  satisfied  to  find 
his  surmise  justified.  And  while  he  was  walking  towards 
the  coach  with  his  head  bent,  he  raised  his  eyes,  yet  without 
lifting  his  head,  and  under  his  black  brows  cast  a  strange 
glance  at  my  lady. 

Presently  those  men  who  had  gone  below  returned, 
bringing  with  them  the  boy  and  the  negro.  And  this  man 
was  fearful  to  look  on  because  of  the  mess  of  dried  blood 
upon  him,  an  open  wound  in  his  shoulder,  and  the  sickness 
of  fear  in  his  face  as  he  was  haled  before  Rodrigues.  Yet, 
for  all  his  fear,  there  was  rage  of  passion  in  his  eye  as  he 
caught  sight  of  Lady  Biddy,  and  also  when  he  looked  at  the 
boy,  who  shrank  away  from  him  in  dread. 

"  You  look  sick,  Tonga.  What  has  ailed  you  ? "  asked 
Rodrigues,  as  if  he  looked  to  get  a  satisfactory  answer. 

Tonga  nodded,  and  in  a  hoarse  voice  told,  with  such 
queer  speech  as  negroes  use,  how  the  heat  had  made  him 
giddy,  so  that  he  fell  down  the  hatch  into  the  hold,  and  lay 
there  unable  to  move. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAKE.          127 

"  You  seem  to  have  fallen  on  something  that  ought  not 
to  be  in  the  hold,"  says  Rodrigues,  going  close  up  to  him 
and  looking  at  his  wound,  the  fellow  being  stark  naked  to 
the  waist.  "  It  looks  as  if  it  had  been  done  with  a  knife. 
How's  that  ? " 

The  negro  swore  he  knew  not  how  he  had  come  by  this 
wound. 

"  You  can  not  tell  me  ? "  says  Rodrigues,  airily. 

Tonga  shook  his  head. 

"You  were  so  giddy  you  knew  not  what  happened." 

Tonga  nodded,  grinning,  yet  with  little  taste  to  mirth,  but 
uneasily. 

"  Well,"  says  Rodrigues,  "  we  must  hear  what  your  little 
friend  can  tell  us  about  it.  Come,  my  boy — what  do  you 
know  about  this  business  ? " 

The  boy,  shivering  in  every  limb  (as  with  a  quartan), 
glanced  at  the,  black,  who  returned  a  wicked  look  of 
warning. 

"  I  know  naught,  your  honor,"  cries  the  little  fellow, 
"  save  that  he  called  to  me  from  below  for  meat  and 
drink." 

"  Nothing  else  ? " 

"  Naught,  your  honor." 

Then  Rodrigues  says  a  word  to  two  of  the  seamen,  who 
straightway  ran  to  the  fore  end  and  came  back,  bearing  a 
long  plank  betwixt  them  ;  and  this  they  set  athwart  the 
bulwarks,  a  little  less  than  midway  of  its  length,  and  with 
its  longer  end  resting  on  a  chest  that  stood  over  that  way. 

"  Get  up  !  "  says  Rodrigues. 

The  boy,  not  knowing  what  was  toward,  and  mightily 
perplexed,  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and  so  stood  up  facing 
Rodrigues.  But  one  of  the  seamen,  cursing  him  for  his 
went  of  manners — as  he  put  it — twisted  him  round  so  that 
he  faced  the  sea. 

"  Walk  !  "  cried  Rodrigues,  when  the  boy  was  thus  posi- 
tioned. 

Whereupon  the  boy,  still  unwitting,  walked  forward  to- 
wards the  bulwarks  and  there  stopped. 

"  Walk  !  "  cries  Rodrigues,  a  little  louder  than  hereto- 
fore. 

Then  the  perplexed  boy  made  another  step  forward,  but 


izS  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

seeing  that  if  he  walked  further  he  must  overbalance  the 
board,  and  so  shoot  into  the  sea  below,  he  stopped  again. 

"  Walk  !  "  cries  Rodrigues  again,  this  time  whipping  out 
his  sword. 

Then  the  boy,  seeing  the  meaning  of  this,  fell  upon  his 
knees,  crying  for  pity,  and  telling  all  he  knew  and  had 
hiterto  concealed — to  wit,  that  Tonga  did  make  him  draw 
the  bolt  of  the  trap  in  the  captain's  cabin  that  morning  he 
went  for  his  silver-braided  coat,  and  that  it  was  from  the 
armory  and  not  from  the  hold  the  black  cried  to  him  for 
drink,  and  also  that  he  had  helped  him  to  get  down  in  the 
hold,  and  dared  not  do  otherwise  for  fear  of  his  life. 

"  You  hear  this,  Tonga,"  says  Rodrigues.  "  Now  will 
you  tell  me  how  you  got  that  cut  ? " 

"  She  did  it  !  "  roars  the  negro,  with  the  ferocity  of  any 
tiger,  pointing  with  his  hand  towards  Lady  Biddy,  while 
flames  of  fire  seemed  to  flash  in  his  eyes.  .  "  She  did  it !  " 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

LADY   BIDDY    SORELY    PUT     TO   IT    WHETHER    TO   TELL  THE 
TRUTH    OR    HOLD    HER    TONGUE. 

WITHOUT  turning  to  see  whom  the  negro  indicated, 
or  what  effect  this  charge  made  upon  her,  Rodrigues 
said  : 

44  That  is  a  lie.  No  woman's  hand  struck  that  blow." 
Then,  turning  to  his  boatswain,  he  gave  him  instructions  to 
pipe  the  whole  company  together  and  see  that  no  man  was 
wanting.  This  the  boatswain  did,  and  when  all  the  men 
were  ranged  across  the  deck  in  a  line  with  the  plank,  on 
which  the  wretched  boy  still  knelt,  crying  bitterly,  Tonga 
standing  before  them,  and  Rodrigues  facing  him  sword  in 
hand,  the  latter  spoke  : 

44  Tonga  would  have  us  believe  he  was  struck  down  by  a 
woman,"  says  he.  "  What  say  you  ?  " 

The  men,  as  much  to  support  their  captain  as  of  their 
own  conviction,  shook  their  heads  and  cried  "  No  !  " 

44  Then,"  says  Rodrigues,  "  it  follows  that  one  of  you 
struck  the  blow,  which,  by  those  rules  to  which  all  have  put 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         129 

their  hands,  is  a  treacherous  offence,  to  be  punished  with 
death.  Which  of  you  did  it  ?  " 

To  this  no  one  made  reply,  but  all  stood  mumchance, 
spying  their  fellows  to  see  if  any  did  bear  guilt  in  their 
face  ;  but  all  looked  innocent  of  this  offense,  as  Rodrigues, 
with  his  discriminating  eye,  could  well  perceive.  When  he 
had  looked  them  all  over  in  silence,  waiting  an  answer,  he 
said,  "  Not  a  soul  leaves  this  ship,  though  you  go  dry 
another  fortnight,  till  the  truth  is  found  out.  1  give  Tonga 
into  your  hands.  Employ  what  means  you  choose — short 
of  taking  his  life — to  get  a  true  confession  from  him." 

Then,  turning  again  towards  the  boy,  he  cried,  "  Stand 
up  !  limb  of  the  devil — up  with  you  !  " 

The  poor  little  wretch  stood  up  for  fear  of  the  glittering 
sword,  but  still  with  his  hands  clasped,  and  the  tears  run- 
ning down  his  cheeks. 

"  Walk  !  "  again  cries  Rodrigues  ;  "  there  is  no  place  in 
this  ship  for  a  liar." 

The  child  turned  his  face  to  the  sea  with  a  pitiful 
moan. 

Then  Lady  Biddy,  seeing  his  sorrowful  case,  and  that  he 
was  to  be  forced  to  his  death,  was  moved  to  desperation  by 
the  passionate  pity  in  her  heart,  and  so  bursting  from  the 
cabin  she  ran  forward  to  save  him.  But  it  was  too  late  ; 
the  child,  seeing  no  escape  from  death  by  the  sword  or  the 
sea.  and  being  mayhap  tempted  to  the  latter  because  it 
looked  so  fair  and  cool,  with  a  shrill  cry  of  despair  ran 
suddenly  forward,  so  that,  the  plank  tilting  up,  he  was 
plunged  headlong  down  into  the  waves.  At  the  sight  of 
this  cruel  business,  Lady  Biddy  stopped  midway  in  the  deck 
and  covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  while  that  last  des- 
pairing cry  of  the  child's  was  echoed  back  from  her  own 
compassionate  breast. 

Of  all  this  I  saw  nothing,  being  within  the  little  cabin  ; 
yet  I  was  conscious  that  something  unusual  was  going  for- 
ward in  the  ship  by  a  sound  or  two  that  came  to  my  ear  as 
I  stood  by  the  panel-door.  Thus,  as  I  stood  straining  my 
senses  to  make  out  the  meaning  of  these  sounds,  I  heard  a 
quick  movement  in  the  next  chamber,  and  scarce  a  moment 
afterwards  that  pitiful  cry  of  Lady  Biddy's  which  I  have 
spoken  of.  Then,  heedless  of  my  danger,  and  that  I  had 


13°          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

no  weapon  for  her  defense  but  the  hands  God  gave  me,  I 
tore  open  the  door  and  leapt  into  the  next  cabin,  expecting 
nothing  less  than  to  find  my  lady  at  the  feet  of  Rodrigues. 
Discovering  no  such  matter,  but  spying  Lady  Biddy  stand- 
ing alone  a  few  paces  from  the  door,  I  was  much  taken 
aback,  yet  not  so  much  but  that  I  at  once  recognized  my 
folly  and  imprudence  in  thus  exposing  myself  ;  seeing  that, 
as  luck  would  have  it,  I  was  still  unobserved — having  gone 
no  further  into  the  cabin  than  enabled  me  to  catch  sight  of 
my  lady  where  she  stood  close  beyond  the  outer  door — I 
drew  back  at  once  within  the  little  cabin. 

Being  there,  I  stood  irresolute,  not  knowing  what  to  do 
for  the  best  for  the  tumult  of  my  mind.  For  I  could  make 
out  nothing  of  what  I  had  seen  ;  yet  was  I  pretty  sure  that 
a  climax  was  at  hand — the  more  so  because  I  presently 
heard  Rodrigues  speaking  to  Lady  Biddy  in  the  next  cham- 
ber. At  length,  making  up  my  mind  to  be  ready  for  the 
worst,  and  not  to  be  taken  by  surprise  in  the  manner  I 
have  shown,  I  went  to  the  lantern  which  stood  under  the 
cot,  and  turned  up  the  wick  so  that  it  gave  a  good  flame, 
laid  the  grenade  beside  it,  ready  to  fire  the  fuse  at  any 
moment,  and  then  going  to  the  corner  turned  back  the  strip 
of  carpet,  and  drew  back  the  bolt  of  the  trap. 

These  preparations  being  made,  I  returned  to  the  little 
door  and  leaned  my  ear  against  it,  and  then  hearing  no 
sound  within  I  went  to  that  part  of  the  wall  over  against 
where  my  lady  did  use  to  sit,  and  made  the  usual  signal  to 
her  by  scratching  a  little  upon  the  panel.  To  this  she  re- 
plied, not  cheerfully  as  before,  but  feebly,  as  though  she  had 
lost  heart.  Yet  it  was  a  comfort  to  me  to  know  she  was 
there  and  Rodrigues  gone. 

Now  must  I  go  back  somewhat. 

As  Lady  Biddy  stood  with  her  hands  to  her  face,  shutting 
out  the  sight  of  that  heartless  cruelty  put  upon  the  child 
who  had  waited  upon  her  (and  to  whom  she  had  shown 
many  a  kindness,  giving  him  sweetmeats  from  her  table  and 
the  like),  Rodrigues  comes  up  to  her. 

"  Why,  madam,"  says  he,  "  do  you  take  the  death  of  this 
little  traitor  to  heart  ?  Sure,  I  counted  to  have  pleased  you 
by  revenging  the  injury  to  your  person  he  did  his  best  to 
further.  Be  comforted,  I  pray  you."  With  this  he  would 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         13* 

have  laid  his  hand  upon  her  arm,  but  that  she  shrank  from 
him  in  loathing,  and  turning  about  returns  to  her  cabin. 

"  The  boy  is  at  peace,"  says  Rodrigues,  walking  by  her 
side.  "  And  is  it  not  better  he  should  die  now  rather  than 
grow  up  to  be  a  hardened  villain  ?  May  I  fetch  you  a  glass 
of  wine  to  restore  your  spirits  ? "  he  asks  when  they  were 
come  into  the  cabin,  and  Lady  Biddy  had  sunk  down  upon 
the  sofett. 

She  shook  her  head,  yet  without  trusting  herself  to  look 
upon  him. 

Fetching  a  sigh,  Rodrigues  seated  himself  near  her,  and 
says  he  : 

"  Doubtless  you  think  me  cold-blooded  and  heartless  ; 
yet  I  do  assure  you  I  am  not.  But  while  I  command  this 
ship  I  must  exercise  severity,  for  only  by  inspiring  fear  can  I 
obtain  the  respect  and  obedience  of  my  company.  When  I 
am  no  longer  a  pirate  you  will  see  that  my  nature  is  differ- 
ent. Heaven  knows  I  shall  be  enchanted  t3  abandon  this 
horrid  career — to  quit  for  ever  a  lawless  life,  and  give  ex- 
ample of  humane  sentim'ents.  It  is  in  your  power  to  make 
that  hand  an  instrument  of  charity  and  mercy  which,  hither- 
to, you  have  seen  exercised  only  in  necessary  severity  ;  and 
this  reflection  will,  I  trust,  reconcile  you  to  our  speedy 
union." 

With  this  hint  he  leaves  her — to  my  lady's  satisfaction. 

Meanwhile  the  company,  after  conferring  together,  laid 
hands  on  Tonga,  vowing  that  if  he  would  not  willingly  con- 
fess who  had  stabbed  him  they  would  certainly  avail  them- 
selves of  their  captain's  permission  and  force  him  to  do  so  by 
torture.  But  the  black  could  do  no  more  than  repeat  what 
he  had  told  already — viz.,  that  he  had  been  stabbed  and 
thrown  down  into  the  armory  as  he  was  entering  the  cabin 
above.adding  that  if  Lady  Biddy  had  not  struck  the  blow  he 
knew  not  who  had,  for  there  was  no  light  to  see  what  hand 
it  was. 

"  Well,"  says  the  boatswain,  "you'll  have  to  name  one  of 
us,  that's  certain,  for  the  comfort  of  the  rest.  But  mark 
you,  be  careful  not  to  name  any  who  can  prove  his  inno- 
cence, for  if  you  play  us  a  scurvy  trick  of  that  sort  we'll 
burn  the  soles  off  your  feet." 

As  he  made  no  reply,  for  fear  of  subjecting  himself  to  the 


>32  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

horrid  torture  they  threatened,  they  took  a  cord  that  ran 
though  a  block  at  the  yard-arm,  and  with  one  end  they 
bound  his  wrists  together  behind  his  back.  When  he  was 
thus  secured,  they  pulled  upon  the  other  end  of  this  same 
cord  till  he  swung  over  the  bulwarks  and  hung  over  the  sea. 

By  keeping  his  muscles  tense  and  his  wrists  well  down 
against  the  small  of  his  back,  Tonga  hung  in  mid-air  fur 
some  time  without  suffering.  But  gradually  the  effort  to 
keep  his  position  increased  as  the  weight  of  his  great  body 
inclining  forward  taxed  the  muscles  of  his  arms,  as  you 
shall  find  if  you  do  but  try  such  experiment.  Presently  one 
of  those  who  held  the  other  end  of  the  line  hitched  over  a 
spar,  growing  impatient  of  his  endurance,  gave  the  cord  a 
sudden  jerk,  whereby  the  black's  wrists  were  wrenched  away 
from  his  loins,  so  that  now  his  muscles  were  powerless,  as 
one  may  say,  while  his  vast  bulk,  hanging  thus  at  an  angle 
with  his  wrists,  threatened  to  drag  his  arms  out  of  their 
sockets. 

This  torment  the  black  endured.for  some  while  in  peace; 
but  at  length,  when  another  jerk  was  given  to  the  cord,  he 
uttered  a  great  yell  of  rage  and  agony. 

Hearing  that  terrible  cry,  Lady  Biddy  could  no  longer 
endure  to  witness  such  suffering,  and  again  ran  from  her 
cabin,  bidding  the  seamen  in  mercy  to  desist  from  his  fur- 
ther torture. 

At  this  moment  Rodrigues  came  on  deck  from  below, 
whither  he  had  descended  upon  quitting  Lady  Biddy. 

"  You  wish  Tonga  to  be  relieved  from  his  pain,"  asks  he. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cries  she  ;  "  don't  you  see  that  his  arms  are 
being  torn  from  his  body  ?  " 

"  His  plight  is  not  so  bad  as  that,"  says  Rodrigues. 
"  However,  if  you  wish  to  save  him  from  his  discomfort  you 
may  do  so  by  a  single  word  ;  though  'tis  a  thankless  ser- 
vice on  your  part,  for  if  he  were  allowed  free  use  of  his  de- 
liverance he  would  employ  it  to  destroy  you." 

"  No  matter,"  cries  Lady  Biddy,  as  another  yell  reached 
her  ear.  "  Let  him  go,  I  say." 

"  You  shall  be  obeyed  immediately  if  you  will  give  your- 
self the  trouble  to  step  this  way  and  answer  one  question." 

Saying  this,  Rodrigues  turned  toward  the  roundhouse  ; 
but  instead  of  going  into  the  cabin  as  before,  he  ascended 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          133 

the  steps  to  the  poop  deck,  over  which  there  hung  a  tent  of 
fine  canvas. 

Without  regarding  whither  she  went,  Lady  Biddy  accom- 
panied him,  being  distracted  with  the  ringing  of  the  negro's 
cry  in  her  ear,  and  concerned  only  for  his  release. 

Being  come  upon  this  deck,  Rodrigues,  standing  in  the 
gangway  and  facing  my  lady,  said: 

"  Lady  Biddy,  the  man  hanging  from  the  yard-arm  has 
been  strung  up  in  order  that  I  may  know  who  stabbed  him. 
I  must  get  that  information  for  my  own  safety  and  the 
safety  of  my  company,  for  the  hand  that  struck  Tonga 
might  strike  me.  You  see,  I  am  quite  reasonable  in  the 
view  I  take  of  things." 

"  Hark  !  "  cried  Lady  Biddy,  as  another  scream  came 
from  the  black. 

"  Yes,  he  is  in  terrible  agony,"  says  Rodrigues,  "  and  he 
will  continue  to  suffer  while  I  am  ignorant  of  the  one  fact 
I  want  to  know.  He  will  be  taken  down  the  moment  I 
know  who  stabbed  him.  Will  you  tell  me  ?" 

Now  my  lady  was  in  a  sore  strait,  for  she  could  not  tell 
him  it  was  I,  and  yet  by  not  telling  him  must  she  prolong 
the  terrible  torment  of  the  black. 

"  He  must  hang  there  till  he  dies  of  his  pain,"  continues 
Rodrigues  {after  watching  my  lady's  embarrassed  face  for 
a  minute),  "  if  I  am  kept  ignorant.  On  the  other  hand,  I 
promise  you  he  shall  be  amply  recompensed  for  his  pangs 
if  I  find  out." 

Lady  Biddy  heard  this,  yet  little  did  she  reck  what  Rod- 
rigues intended  for  the  black's  recompense. 

"  Suppose  I  did  it  with  my  own  hand,"  says  she,  eagerly. 

Rodrigues  fetched  from  his  pocket  a  mariner's  jack- 
knife,  and  says  he,  "  Is  this  yours,  madam  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  she,  looking  at  it  in  perplexity. 

"  You  don't  know  the  look  of  it  ?  "  he  asks. 

She  shook  her  head  with  misgiving. 

"  Then,"  says  he,  "  I  can  not  suppose  that  you  did  it 
with  your  own  hand,  for  this  is  the  knife  with  which  Tonga 
was  stabbed.  Come,  Lady  Biddy,  if  you  know  who  did 
this  thing,  why  not  tell  at  once  ? " 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  "  cries  Lady  Biddy. 

"  Because  he  is  your  friend,"  says  Rodrigues,  slowly. 


134          THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  There  is  the  whole  of  my  company,"  adds  he,  waving  his 
hand  toward  the  deck.  "  Not  one  of  those  fellows  would 
have  moved  a  hand  to  save  you  from  the  lust  of  Tonga. 
The  only  one  on  this  ship,  except  myself,  who  would  pre- 
serve you  is  "  (dropping  his  voice  and  leaning  forward) 
"  down  there  ";  and  saying  this  he  pointed  with  his  finger 
to  the  cabin  beneath  them. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

LADY   BIDDY   IS   SET  ASHORE,  BUT    LITTLE    MERCY  THEREIN. 

HEARING  these  words,  Lady  Biddy  was  thrown  into 
such  disorder  that  even  had  Rodrigues  been  of  dull 
perception  he  might  have  read  in  her  distracted  coun- 
tenance justification  of  his  suspicions.  Stepping  aside,  he 
fetches  a  seat  placed  there  for  his  convenience,  and  sets  it 
down  beside  Lady  Biddy,  who,  for  want  of  strength  to  stand 
up,  sank  into  it.  Then  going  to  the  rail,  he  calls  to  his 
boatswain,  bidding  him  to  let  down  Tonga,  as  he  had  dis- 
covered who  it  was  that  stabbed  him. 

"  But,"  adds  he,  "  no  man  is  to  stir  from  his  post  till  he 
has  my  further  command." 

Whereupon  the  black  was  lowered  down  and  hauled 
upon  deck,  where  he  lay  for  some  time  helpless  and  supine. 

While  this  was  doing,  Rodrigues  turns  again  to  Lady 
Biddy,  who  was  now  come  to  herself  again  somewhat,  and 
says  he: 

"  You  have  shown  a  tender  heart  for  the  boy  who  be- 
trayed you,  and  the  negro  who  would  have  shown  you  no 
pity.  What  will  you  do  for  the  man  who  saved  you  ? " 

Lady  Biddy  dropped  her  chin  upon  her  bosom,  and 
clasped  her  hands  in  silence,  feeling  how  helpless  she  was, 
and  how  incapable  of  coping  with  the  difficulty  which  now 
beset  her. 

"That  he  is  courageous  and  strong  he  has  given  us 
ample  proof,"  continues  Rodrigues  ;  "  but  the  strength  and 
vigor  of  a  lion  can  not  save  him  from  the  wrath  of  my 
company.  I  have  but  to  tell  them  an  enemy  lies  hid  in  the 
cabin  below,  and  they  will  seize  him  and  put  him  to  greater 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  135 

torture  than  the  black  has  endured.  They  will  tear  him 
limb  from  limb  before  your  eyes,  and  even  I  could  not  save 
him  from  that  horrid  death." 

"  But  I  could,"  cries  Lady  Biddy,  starting  up.  "  Ay,  and 
I  will.  Lift  your  voice  to  those  heartless  tigers  below,  and 
I  will  lift  mine  to  him.  Ere  they  can  move  a  pace  he  will 
be  beyond  their  violence,  and  I  yours." 

Rodrigues  looked  at  her  steadfastly  through  his  half- 
closed  eyelids,  as  if  to  make  sure  this  threat  was  not  idle  ; 
nay,  by  a  contemptuous  smile  he  provoked  her  to  give  him 
a  further  assurance.  And  this  she  did,  being  greatly 
wrought. 

"  We  are  prepared  for  the  worst.  I  have  but  to  cry  to 
him  for  help,  and  he  will  fire  the  gunpowder  below.  Our 
fate  will  be  no  worse  than  yours,  so  take  heed." 

Saying  this  she  stepped  quickly  back,  placing  the  chair 
between  herself  and  Rodrigues,  that  no  treacherous  blow 
from  him  might  deprive  her  of  the  power  to  save  me  from 
the  fate  he  threatened. 

For  an  instant  Rodrigues  seemed  taken  aback  by  this 
revelation,  but  recovering  his  self-command,  he  says,  with 
his  usual  smoothness  and  subtlety  : 

"  Madam,  I  am  greatly  obliged  for  this  warning,  though 
it  was  quite  unnecessary,  as  you  will  see  for  yourself  if  you 
consider  the  matter  calmly.  In  the  first  place,  I  am  not 
likely  to  do  anything  which  may  cause  you  to  cry  for  help  ; 
and,  in  the  second,  I  mean  no  mischief  to  your  friend. 
Had  that  been  my  purpose,  I  could  have  secretly  instructed 
my  company  to  search  the  cabin  and  secure  our  dangerous 
foe  the  moment  I  discovered  he  was  there.  By  sparing 
him,  I  designed  to  strengthen  my  claim  upon  your  con- 
sideration— I  hope  still  to  merit  your  gratitude.  To  that 
end,  as  you  perceive,  I  have  ordered  my  company  to  stand 
to  their  posts." 

In  this  there  was  an  appearance  of  truth  which  Lady 
Biddy  could  not  see  through  ;  so  that  it  had  the  effect  of 
calming  her  spirit  somewhat,  which  was  what  Rodrigues 
did,  doubtless,  aim  at. 

"  You  must  by  this  time  know,"  he  continued,  "  that  I 
am  a  man  who,  having  set  his  mind  upon  the  achievement 
of  an  object,  braves  all  things  to  that  end.  I  never  yet 


I3<5  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

abandoned  my  purpose  while  there  remained  a  single 
means  of  attaining  to  it.  I  have  set  my  mind  on  abandon- 
ing this  desperate  career  and  marrying  you,  and  to  accom- 
plish this  design  I  am  prepared  to  sacrifice  everything; 
nay,  I  will  go  so  far  as  to  enrich  the  man  who  saved  you 
from  the  negro.  Listen  !  " 

He  made  a  step  forward,  but  Lady  Biddy,  still  doubtful 
of  his  intent  (for  none  could  look  upon  his  face  without 
seeing  "  villain  "  writ  there),  also  drew  back  a  step.  Rod- 
rigues,  taking  no  notice  of  this  act  of  prudence  (save  by  a 
smile),  set  his  hands  on  the  back  of  the  seat,  as  if  that  had 
been  his  sole  purpose,  and  leaning  forward  in  an  easy, 
careless  manner,  continues  : 

"  The  boats  lie  alongside  ready  to  carry  my  men  ashore 
for  their  refreshment.  I  will  send  every  one  of  my  com- 
pany away,  leaving  none  on  board  save  you  and  myself  and 
our  friend  below.  When  the  coast  is  clear,  you  and  I  will 
embark  in  my  own  boat,  and  we  will  abandon  the  ship  to 
him"  (pointing  below).  "  As  you  see,  there  is  not  a  ripple 
on  the  water  ;  with  a  couple  of  hours'  exertion  I  shall  bring 
you  to  a  village  whence  we  may  be  transported  by  land  to 
the  town  where  I  shall  give  you  a  home  worthy  of  any 
princess.  Will  you  accept  my  offer?" 

"  No,"  cries  Lady  Biddy,  without  taking  an  instant  to 
consider. 

"  I  will  give  you  an  hour  to  reflect,"  says  Rodrigues. 

"  Nothing  can  change  my  decision,  do  what  you  will." 

"You  are  prepared  to  destroy  every  soul  in  this  ship — 
even  the  friend  to  whom  you  owe  your  life — rather  than 
accept  the  terms  I  offer  ?  You  realize  what  you  threaten  ? " 

"  Yes,"  says  she  ;  "  not  I,  but  you,  must  answer  to  God 
for  the  destruction  of  our  lives." 

He  smiled  scornfully,  as  if  that  consideration  were  the 
least  of  his  troubles  ;  then  he  bent  his  head,  and,  knitting 
his  brows,  remained  in  thought  for  a  while.  Suddenly 
raising  his  head,  as  if  his  final  decision  was  made,  he  says  : 

"  You  compel  me  to  abandon  the  fondest  hope  I  have 
cherished  ?  Be  it  so.  Now  to  undo  this  business,  and 
forget  my  folly." 

Turning  about,  he  calls  to  the  boatswain  to  have  his 
barge  manned  and  brought  to  the  ship's  landing-steps. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         137 

"  I  must  ask  you,  madam,"  says  he,  again  addressing  my 
lady,  "  to  leave  this  ship.  I  must  think  now  only  of  my 
own  safety  and  the  welfare  of  my  company." 

Not  foreseeing  her  danger,  but  only  transported  with 
joy  to  think  she  was  to  be  delivered  from  her  captivity, 
Lady  Biddy  replied  that  she  demanded  nothing  better. 

"  Your  effects  will  be  landed  afterwards.  I  doubt  if  you 
would  care  for  me  to  send  my  men  into  your  cabin  for 
them  at  the  present  moment." 

"  But,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  thinking  of  me,  and  then  she 
stopped. 

"  I  understand  what  is  in  your  thoughts.  You  are  con- 
cerned for  your  friend  ;  so  am  I.  I  cannot  answer  for  his 
life  if  my  men  find  him.  They  would  insist  upon  his  death 
in  return  for  the  injury  inflicted  upon  Tonga.  Therefore 
must  he  wait  until  the  company  is  landed  and  gone  in 
search  of  water." 

At  this  moment  the  boatswain  came  to  say  that  the  boat 
was  prepared. 

"  You  will  take  this  lady  to  the  shore,  and  see  that  no 
injury  is  offered  her — not  a  word  uttered  that  may  offend 
her,"  says  Rodrigues  ;  and  then  stepping  back,  that  she 
might  have  freedom  to  pass,  he  takes  off  his  hat  and  makes 
her  a  prodigious  finebow.  Yet  Lady  Biddy  hesitated,  fearing 
treachery  to  me  ;  and  still  more  might  she  have  feared  it  if 
her  spirits  had  been  quite  composed,  and  her  judgment  in 
a  condition  to  weigh  all  that  Rodrigues  had  said. 

"  What  have  you  to  fear  ? "  says  he,  speaking  low. 
"  What  harm  could  the  most  treacherous  wretch  inflict  with 
impunity  ?  If  you  have  told  the  truth — which  I  do  not 
doubt — a  cry  from  you  will  insure  the  destruction  of  all  you 
leave  in  this  ship.  Your  cry  from  the  shore  would  sound  as 
clearly  in  this  still  air  as  from  here.  Think  what  you  will 
of  me,  but  believe  that  I  am  not  a  fool.  Farewell !  " 

Hoping  for  the  best,  seeing  no  better  course  open  to  her, 
and  yet  troubled  with  misgivings,  Lady  Biddy  descended 
the  side  and  took  her  place  in  the  barge.  Then  in  silence 
the  men  pulled  her  ashore.  Yet  did  they  look  keenly  one 
at  the  other,  as  if  expecting  some  merry  turn  of  this 
business — one  thrusting  his  tongue  in  his  cheek,  a  second 
winking  his  eye,  and  a  third  hawking  as  if  he  had  a  rheum. 


13$  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

However,  they  said  not  one  word,  and  having  set  Lady 
Biddy  on  shore  very  tenderly,  they  shoved  off  and  returned 
to  the  ship. 

Now,  not  knowing  which  way  to  turn  nor  what  to  do,  for 
her  position  being  so  unexpected,  and  feeling  like  one  set 
alone  in  another  world,  Lady  Biddy  rested  her  hand  on  the 
tree  by  which  she  stood,  and  in  a  kind  of  maze  watched  the 
boat  returning  to  the  ship. 

Then  she  began  to  wonder  how  long  it  would  be  ere  the 
men  would  be  dispersed  and  I  should  come  to  her,  and 
what  means  we  should  find  of  getting  to  that  town  Rodri- 
gues  had  spoken  of. 

The  men  left  the  boat  and  went  up  on  board,  and  still 
Lady  Biddy  watched,  as  if  she  had  but  just  woke  from  her 
sleep,  and  was  dazed  (as  she  told  me);  but  of  a  sudden  a 
great  shout  burst  upon  her  ear,  and  as  quickly  it  flashed 
upon  her  intelligence  that  a  false  trick  had  been  put  upon 
her,  which  she  might  have  foreseen  had  she  been  as  subtle 
as  Rodrigues,  which  (thanks  be  to  God)  she  was  not. 
Then  for  the  first  time  it  occurred  to  her  that  while  she  was 
being  carried  to  the  shore  Rodrigues  might  send  part  of 
his  company  below  to  take  the  powder  from  the  armory,  or 
to  be  prepared  with  muskets  to  shoot  me  dead  the  moment 
I  lifted  the  trap. 

And  now  hearing  this  shout  she  was  convinced  that 
precautions  had  been  taken  to  prevent  the  blowing  up 
of  the  ship,  and  the  men  were  rushing  into  the  cabin  to 
take  me. 

But  this  was  not  the  worst.  As  she  strained  her  eyes,  as 
if  to  pierce  the  side  of  the  ship  and  know  my  fate,  she  per- 
ceived a  boat  shoot  from  the  further  side  of  the  ship  and 
turn  towards  her.  For  a  moment  she  believed  that  I  had 
contrived  to  escape,  for  there  was  but  one  man  in  the 
boat ;  but  looking  more  narrowly  she  perceived,  to  her 
horror,  that  the  man  was  Tonga  the  negro  ;  and  coming 
towards  her  he  raised  a  terrible  yell  of  savage  joy  and 
triumph. 

Rodrigues,  true  to  his  word,  had  offered  the  black  a 
reward  for  the  pain  he  had  been  put  to  ;  and  now,  as  he 
came  on  exulting  to  satiate  his  lust  and  vengeance,  my 
poor  Lady  Biddy  screamed  aloud  to  me. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          139 

But  it  was  too  late  ;  and  Lady  Biddy,  feeling  she  was  now 
most  surely  undone,  could  not  even  cry  again  for  help. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

HOW   I   GOT    AWAY    FROM    THE   VILE   PIRATE    AND   SETTLED 
TONGA    HIS   BUSINESS. 

SEEING  nothing  but  impenetrable  thickets  on  one  hand, 
and  the  sea  on  the  other,  and  no  means  of  escape  either 
this  way  or  that  from  the  raging  savage,  Lady  Biddy, 
I  say,  did  give  herself  up  for  lost;  and  so,  falling  on  her  knees, 
she  prayed  the  Almighty  to  take  her  life  there  and  then, 
that  she  might  be  saved  from  the  loathsome  passion  of  the 
negro.  Yet  was  her  case  not  so  bad  as  to  call  for  this  last 
remedy  neither,  as  I  shall  presently  show. 

In  great  commotion  of  mind  I  stood  in  the  little  cabin 
with  the  grenade  in  my  hand  and  the  lamp  burning  steadily 
at  my  feet,  prepared  to  play  the  part  of  the  destroyer, 
while  still  cherishing  the  faint  flickering  hope  that  my  lot 
rather  was  to  be  that  of  the  preserver. 

Thus  I  waited  an  incredible  length  of  time  (as  it  seemed 
to  me),  until,  my  anxiety  becoming  no  longer  tolerable,  I 
scratched  again  upon  the  wall  for  a  signal  to  Lady  Biddy. 

Then  getting  no  answer,  I  ventured  again  to  the  panel- 
door  and  peeped  through.  The  big  cabin  was  empty  ;  nor 
could  I  spy  through  the  further  door  any  sign  of  her,  but 
only  the  ship's  company  drawn  across  the  deck,  with  Ton- 
ga lying  prone  before  them. 

But  at  a  glance  I  perceived  that  most  of  the  men  were 
looking  up  towards  the  deck  over  my  head,  and  then  catch- 
ing a  faint  sound  from  thence,  which  my  eager  intelligence 
made  out  to  be  my  lady's  voice,  I  was  no  longer  in  doubt 
as  to  her  whereabouts. 

At  this  point  I  heard  Rodrigues  call  to  his  boatswain  to 
man  the  boat,  which  he  speedily  set  about  to  do.  Now, 
while  these  fellows  were  thus  busily  occupied,  I  saw  my 
chance  to  get  out  on  to  the  gallery  unperceived  through  the 
little  door  there,  which  had  been  set  open  to  let  a  current  of 
air  through.  So  creeping  low  and  nimble  as  any  cat  I 


140          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

crossed  the  space  that  was  open  to  observation  from  the 
deck  (without  being  seen,  thanks  be  to  God),  and  that  way 
got  me  on  to  the  quarter  gallery. 

Yet  what  I  was  to  do  there,  I  knew  not ;  still,  it  was  a 
comfort  to  change  my  place,  for  any  shift  seems  for  the  best 
when  one  is  tormented  with  apprehension. 

After  another  tedious  spell  I  heard  the  oars  splash,  and 
presently,  to  my  complete  amazement,  I  caught  sight  of  the 
barge,  with  eight  or  ten  lusty  men  in  it,  pulling  towards  the 
shore  with  all  their  will,  and  Lady  Biddy  seated  on  one  of 
the  thwarts  alone. 

I  withdrew  cautiously  to  that  end  of  the  gallery  where  the 
bulk  of  the  ship  did  somewhat  conceal  me  from  the  rowers 
in  the  boat,  whose  faces  were  towards  the  ship  (yet  not  so 
far  but  that,  crouching  down,  I  might  watch  what  came  of 
this  business),  and  thence  I  saw  them  set  Lady  Biddy  on 
shore.  At  first  I  thought  that  this  was  but  an  indulgence  of 
Rodrigues,  that  she  might  refresh  herself  while  the  men 
were  getting  water  ;  but  this  notion  was  put  out  of  my  head 
the  next  minute  by  seeing  the  fellows  shove  off  and  return 
towards  the  ship,  leaving  her  there  alone.  Had  she  told 
Rodrigues  all,  and  was  the  boat  returning  to  fetch  me,  I 
asked  myself,  or  was  there  some  wicked  design  to  leave  her 
there  alone  ? 

Being  better  minded  to  trust  myself  than  Rodrigues,  I 
made  up  my  mind  to  swim  to  the  shore,  which  was  no  great 
matter,  the  distance  being  half  a  mile  at  the  outside,  and 
the  sea  very  fair  and  smooth  ;  so  climbing  over  the  rail,  I 
dropped  from  that  gallery  into  the  lower  one  which  project- 
ed beyond  it.  And  luckily  for  me  I  did  so  at  that  time,  for 
scarcely  had  I  come  to  my  feet  when  I  heard  a  mighty  up- 
roar on  the  deck,  with  the  clatter  of  arms  (which,  doubtless, 
had  been  silently  furnished  for  the  men's  use  from  the  arm- 
ory while  Lady  Biddy  was  being  carried  to  the  shore),  and 
then  much  hallooing  and  shouting  in  that  part  of  the  coach 
I  had  so  fortunately  got  out  of.  Nay,  I  did  hear  one  rascal 
come  to  the  gallery  door  above  and  cry,  as  he  looked  out, 
that  I  was  not  there. 

"Now,"  thinks  I,  "  is  my  time  to  get  out  of  this  hornets' 
nest  ";  and  so  clambering  over  this  rail  as  I  had  over  the 
other,  and  recommending  myself  to  Providence  (for  as  like 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  141 

as  not  in  such  waters  as  these  might  be  sharks  or  water  ser- 
pents). I  dropped  down  plumb  into  the  water,  and  coming 
up  again,  struck  out  vigorously  for  the  shore,  keeping  as 
low  under  water  as  I  well  could. 

"  Happily,"  thinks  I,  "  they  are  looking  for  me  elsewhere, 
so  may  I  chance  to  escape  this  bout  scot  free";  and  with 
this  thought,  added  to  the  bewildering  delightful  expecta- 
tion of  being  ere  long  beside  Lady  Biddy  and  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance from  the  tiger  who  sought  my  destruction,  I  pushed 
on  with  great  speed,  feeling  no  fatigue  whatever,  but  only 
a  great  joy. 

Then  suddenly  I  heard  a  hoarse  shout  of  triumph,  which 
did  for  the  moment  lead  me  to  think  I  had  been  perceived 
from  the  ship  ;  but  casting  my  eye  around  I  spied  on  my 
right  hand  a  skiff  and  Tonga  in  it,  pulling  the  oars  ;  yet 
feebly,  because  of  his  arms  being  wrenched  as  I  have  de- 
scribed. 

'Twas  a  wonder  he  had  not  caught  sight  of  me  ;  but  I 
think  his  eyes  were  chiefly  occupied  in  glancing  over  his 
shoulder  to  see  if  the  fair  girl  were  trying  to  escape  him,  and 
truly,  as  the  proverb  runs,  "  One  sees  naught  but  the  deer 
when  one  runs  with  the  hounds." 

As  I  caught  sight  of  him  he  shifted  his  oars,  which  he  had 
hitherto  been  pulling  (and  could,  I  take  it,  no  longer  do  for 
the  suffering  of  his  arms),  and  standing  up  in  the  boat,  with 
his  face  to  the  shore,  he  took  to  pushing  the  oars  for  his 
greater  comfort.  Thus  was  his  back  set  towards  me,  so 
that,  unseen  and  with  very  little  ado,  I  overtook  the  boat, 
and  laying  hold  of  the  sling  at  the  stern,  I  let  him  pull  me 
towards  the  shore,  to  his  greater  pain  and  exhaustion. 

This  maneuver  did  not  serve  me  another  turn,  for  against 
the  black  stern  of  the  boat  my  dark  head  was  indistinguish- 
able from  the  ship,  unless  one  did  carefully  examine  with  a 
spy-glass  ;  and  doubtless  by  this  time  Rodrigues  and  his 
company,  having  found  that  I  was  no  longer  in  the  ship, 
were  scanning  the  sea  to  know  if  I  were  there.  That  I  had 
been  in  the  cabin  pretty  recently,  and  that  Lady  Biddy  had 
told  him  no  more  than  the  truth,  Rodrigues  might  see 
full  well  by  the  burning  lamp  and  the  grenade  I  had  left 
behind  me. 

At  last  the  boat  ran  around,  and,  dropping  my  feet,  I  felt 


142  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

the  sandy  bottom.  Then,  glancing  along  the  side,  I  saw 
my  poor  Lady  Biddy  kneeling  beside  a  tree  with  her  face 
hid  in  her  hands,  to  shut  out  the  sight  of  that  horrid  black, 
which  did  stir  my  entrails  with  hatred  of  him. 

Yet  I  saw  full  well  that  I  must  not  discover  myself  till  I 
was  got  on  firm  ground,  for  a  man  up  to  his  neck  is  power- 
less— though  he  have  the  heart  of  a  lion — against  another 
whose  limbs  are  free  to  act.  With  a  blow  of  an  oar  Tonga 
might  have  settled  my  business  ;  and,  knowing  this,  I  kept 
still  hid  from  him  under  the  gunwale  of  the  boat  until  he 
leapt  out  on  to  the  sand. 

Crouching  down  more  like  a  tiger  than  a  human  being, 
he  slowly  went  up  the  sandy  slope,  and  to  make  the  resem- 
blance greater,  a  low  growl  of  savage  exultation  came  from 
his  throat,  and  he  drew  up  his  arms,  with  all  his  fingers 
spread  out,  as  if  preparing  to  spring  upon  his  poor  helpless 
victim. 

Quickly  and  yet  silently  I  made  my  way  out  of  the  water 
and  followed  in  his  footsteps.  Arms  I  had  none,  but  pres- 
ently, drawing  near  him,  I  spied  a  great  stone  half  buried 
in  the  sand,  and  this  I  wrenched  up  at  one  tug,  though  it 
weighed,  as  I  believe,  over  a  quarter  of  a  hundredweight,  and 
was  sucked  down  by  the  wet  sand. 

Hearing  the  sound  that  was  made  by  the  wet  sand  drop- 
ping from  the  stone,  he  turned  about,  and,  catching  sight  of 
me,  set  up  a  fearful  cry  of  rage  ;  but  it  was  the  last  cry  he 
ever  made,  for  I  held  the  stone  lifted  over  my  head,  and, 
dashing  it  forward  with  all  the  might  of  my  body,  I  struck 
him  full  in  the  face  with  it,  crushing  in  the  bones  and  burst- 
ing the  brains  from  his  skull. 

Then  all  was  silent,  save  a  faint  cry  of  despair  from  Lady 
Biddy,  who,  daring  not  to  uncover  her  eyes  from  the  moment 
she  saw  the  black  on  shore,  thought  that  his  cry  of  rage  was 
intended  for  her,  and  that  the  crash  which  followed  was 
but  some  preparation  for  her  destruction. 

I  thew  some  sand  over  the  bloody,  formless  thing  that 
had  been  a  human  face  the  minute  before,  that  the  ghastly 
spectacle  might  not  shock  Lady  Biddy,  and  then  I  went  to 
her  side  softly  over  the  sand. 

Now  did  I  fear  to  let  Lady  Biddy  know  that  her  enemy 
was  dead  and  a  deliverer  at  hand,  lest  by  the  sudden  com- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          143 

motion  of  feelings  I  might  unhinge  her  mind.  For  a  mo- 
ment I  wondering  how  I  should  manage  this  business  for 
the  best,  and  then,  my  wits  failing  to  help  me,  I  yielded  to 
the  desire  of  my  heart,  and  dropping  on  my  knees  by  her 
side  murmured  with  a  true  and  devout  heart : 
"  God  be  praised  !  " 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

OF    OUR    FURTHER    ESCAPES,  AND  A    STRATAGEM  BY    WHICH 
OUR  ENEMIES  WERE  PUT    TO  GREAT    DISCOMFORT. 

TJ  EARING  these  words,  Lady  Biddy  did  rouse  herself  up 
\\  as  from  a  dream,  and  seeing  me  kneeling  by  her  side 
with  bent  head,  and  the  negro  lying  at  a  distance  quite 
still  she  gave  a  little  scream  of  surprise,  and  then,  clasping 
my  folded  hands  in  hers,  fell  to  weeping  and  laughing  out 
of  all  measure  ;  but  I  knew  not  which  was  the  more  piteous 
to  hear. 

"  You  have  saved  me  again.  You  good  Benet — again 
saved  !  "  cried  she. 

"  Ay,  Lady  Biddy,"  says  I.  "  Yet  I  am  but  the  happy 
instrument  of  a  Divine  Grace  ;  and  you  should  think,  not 
of  me,  but  of  Him  whose  servant  I  am." 

These  serious  words  had  the  effect  I  wished,  for  at  once 
she  grew  calmer,  and,  ceasing  to  smile,  did  with  all  her 
heart  pour  out  grateful  thanks  to  Heaven.  And  never  did 
holy  man  more  devoutly  join  in  heartfelt  praise  than  I  who 
was,  as  I  may  say,  a  sinner. 

From  this  sweet  communion  we  were  aroused  in  a  sudden 
and  terrible  manner.  The  thunder  of  a  cannon  smote  our 
ears,  and  at  the  same  moment  a  great  splinter  was  torn  out 
of  the  side  of  the  tree,  against  which  we  knelt,  by  a  ball. 
Yet  we  were  not  harmed  thereby  so  much  as  a  hair  of  our 
heads. 

As  we  started  to  our  feet  we  heard  a  great  shout  from  the 
sea,  and  casting  our  eyes  that  way  we  perceived  a  couple  of 
boats  making  for  the  shore  as  hard  as  ever  the  fellows  within 
them  could  pull,  so  that  we  could  not  doubt  but  that  Rodri- 


144          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

gues  had  spied  us  from  the  ship,  and  sent  his  company  in 
our  pursuit.  s 

"  Now,  Lady  Biddy,"  says  I,  "  if  you  have  strength  we 
must  run  for  it." 

"  Ay,"  says  she  with  alacrity,  and  no  sign  of  her  late 
weakness.  "  Whither  you  will,  Benet." 

With  that  she  puts  her  little  soft  hand  in  mine,  and  so, 
like  two  children,  we  started  to  run  along  the  sands.  And 
well  it  was  we  were  so  prompt,  for  ere  we  had  got  a  dozen 
yards  another  gun  was  fired  from  the  ship,  and  this  time 
charged  with  slug  shot  that  scattered  prodigiously,  but, 
thanks  be  to  God,  did  us  no  hurt  in  the  world  ;  at  which  I 
laughed  aloud,  and  Lady  Biddy  joined  her  pretty  mirth  as 
gay  as  any  peal  of  bells,  so  elated  was  she  with  our  happy 
release. 

Yet  were  we  laughing  ere  we  were  out  of  the  wood,  or 
rather,  as  I  may  say,  ere  we  were  in  it,  for  there  lay  our 
only  chance  of  safety  from  those  villains  who  were  now 
nearing  the  shore.  But  how  to  penetrate  the  thicket  of 
brambles,  lianas,  ground-pines,  agaves,  and  other  prickly 
shrubs  that  did  hedge  the  land  beyond  the  sea-sands,  where 
the  ground  rose  towards  the  woods,  I  knew  not  ;  for  though 
I  should  not  have  hesitated  to  plunge  into  this  growth 
being  by  myself,  albeit  the  flesh  of  my  legs  would  have  paid 
dearly,  yet  could  I  attempt  no  such  thing  with  Lady  Biddy, 
whose  skirts  had  been  torn  from  her  body  and  her  tender 
limbs  lacerated  cruelly  at  the  very  outset,  and  she  eventu- 
ally been  held  a  prisoner  in  the  bonds  of  those  thorny  vines. 
So  still  we  kept  to  the  coast,  running  on  as  swiftly  as  the 
shifting  sand  would  allow,  all  the  time  hand  in  hand,  and 
with  a  good  heart,  until  another  shout  behind  us  made  my 
heart  sink  and  banished  the  smile  from  my  lady's  cheek  ;  for 
now  we  knew  that  one  of  the  boats  had  reached  the  shore. 

"  A  little  further,  Lady  Biddy — a  little  further,"  says  I 
cheerfully. 

"  Yes,  Benet,"  says  she,  hopefully  still,  yet  with  difficulty 
from  the  shortness  of  her  breathing.  "  I  can  run  a  good 
way  yet." 

Now  glancing  aside  I  saw  a  hillside  where  the  trees  were 
of  a  prodigious  height,  and  so  close  together  that  their 
branches  mingled  in  one  wide-spreading  solid  canopy,  and 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          145 

loth  I  was  to  pass  them  by,  for  I  knew  by  my  experiences 
on  the  Oronoqu»that  beneath  these  trees  nothing  grew  but 
toadstools  and  such  growth  for  the  want  of  light,  and  there 
might  we  have  run  with  ease  as  far  as  that  sort  of  trees  ex- 
tended, but  the  thicket  on  the  hither  side  was  impassable, 
so  there  was  no  help  forlt  but  to  run  on. 

Presently  I  saw  Lady  Biddy  bend  her  head,  biting  her 
nether  lip  with  her  teeth,  as  if  to  control  some  pain,  and 
this,  together  with  hearing  the  report  of  a  musket  in  our 
rear,  showing  that  our  pursuers  were  getting  within  gunshot 
of  us,  did  work  me  up  with  desperation,  so  that  I  was 
minded  to  catch  my  companion  in  my  arms,  and  essay 
whether  I  might  not  that  way  struggle  through  the  thorny 
barrier.  And  this  course  I  resolved  to  take  if  in  fifty 
paces  no  less  desperate  measure  was  to  be  found. 

Fifty  paces  were  covered,  and  yet  there  was  no  sign  of 
any  opening  in  that  rank  growth  ;  then  I  added  another 
ten  ;  and  after  that,  ten  more  ;  when,  casting  my  eye  again 
upon  Lady  Biddy,  I  saw  in  her  despairing  eyes  that  she 
could  go  no  further. 

I  stopped,  and,  leaning  upon  my  shoulder  for  support, 
she  gasps — 

"One  moment,  Benet.     I  shall  be  better  in  a  moment." 

I  looked  back  (yet  in  a  manner  not  to  affright  the  poor 
girl),  and  saw  the  seamen  doggedly  running  on,  but  no 
nearer,  Heaven  be  thanked,  which  surprised  me,  although 
each  man  was  encumbered  with  his  musket  and  other  arms. 
But  seeing  us  at  a  stand  they  set  up  a  shout,  and  began  to 
mend  their  pace. 

"  Now,"  said  Lady  Biddy,  and  again  we  started  forward. 

Hardly  had  we  made  half  a  dozen  yards  when  I  stopped 
her  with  a  cry  of  joy,  for  there,  lying  flush  with  the  out- 
lying growth  of  what  I  term  the  thicket,  was  a  great  mass 
of  dry,  brown,  broad  leaves,  which  I  knew  for  the  head  of  a 
cabbage-tree,  which,  though  it  promised  nothing  to  an  in- 
experienced eye,  did  to  mine  betoken  a  means  of  crossing 
the  thicket  by  its  stem,  which  is  never  less  than  150  feet 
long  in  one  falling  to  decay,  and  is  more  often  250  feet. 
And  happily  this  tree  in  falling  athwart  the  thicket  had 
struck  upon  a  rock,  so  that  it  was  lifted  well  up  above  the 
more  tangled  growth. 


146  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Now  I  knew  that  if  we  could  once  get  upon  the  stem  of 
that  tree  we  might  have  a  convenient  bridge  for  getting  to 
a  place  where  the  ground  was  freer  ;  and  as  there  was  no 
time  to  consider  whether  the  thing  was  possible  or  not,  I 
hurried  Lady  Biddy  thither,  and  bidding  her  grip  me  tightly 
by  the  shoulders,  I  did  set  myself  with  all  the  strength  and 
agility  I  possessed  (which  was  doubled  by  the  desperate 
occasion),  to  drag  myself  up  by  the  hanging  leaves  to  the 
crown  of  it  ;  and  thanks  to  the  fibers  of  these  leaves  being 
of  a  prodigious  toughness,  as  well  as  to  the  help  of  Provi- 
dence, I  succeeded  so  well  that  in  a  twinkle  we  stood  side 
by  side  upon  the  trunk  of  this  fallen  tree. 

Here  were  we  well  concealed  from  sight,  but  not  so 
secure  neither  as  was  to  my  taste  ;  so,  begging  Lady  Biddy 
stay  there  till  my  return,  I  ran  nimbly  down  the  length  of 
the  palmetto,  and  then  along  the  inner  side  of  the  thicket 
beneath  the  trees,  where  the  growth  was  of  moderate  pro- 
portion, back  in  the  direction  we  had  come,  till  guessing  I 
was  about  come  level  with  our  pursuers,  I  set  up  a  great 
mocking  laugh  of  derision  to  be  heard  of  them.  Upon 
which,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  I  heard  one  of  the  seamen 
shout  to  his  fellows,  who  were  in  advance,  to  come  back, 
for  they  had  passed  the  game. 

"  Ay,"  shouts  I,  "  and  you'll  have  to  look  sharp  to  catch 
us  at  that." 

The  fellows  replied  by  firing  a  volley  into  the  thicket 
where  they  deemed  I  might  be,  but  they  might  as  use- 
fully have  fired  into  the  sand  for  all  the  damage  their 
bullets  could  do  to  me  through  that  huge  mass  of 
shrubs  and  plants,  whereof  the  best  part  are  as  tough 
as  leather. 

I  gave  them  another  laugh,  but  still  a  little  further  back 
from  the  part  where  I  had  left  Lady  Biddy,  to  make  them 
conclude  we  were  flying  thence,  and  this  enraging  them 
beyond  measure,  they  straightway  plunged  into  the  thicket, 
fancying  that  we  had  passed  through,  and  that  they  might 
do  the  same.  And  first  of  all  there  was  great  cursing 
amongst  them  for  the  thorns  that  stuck  in  their  legs  ;  but 
as  they  pushed  further  in  to  free  themselves,  and  only  got 
the  worse  entangled,  being  torn  and  rent  (as  they  must) 
from  head  to  foot  at  every  moment,  the  cries  of  pain  and 


THE   ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  1 47 

rage  that  these  wretches  set  up  were  enough  to  make  any 
heart  glad  to  hear. 

Leaving  them  in  this  pickle  I  sped  back  the  way  I  had 
come,  and  found  Lady  Biddy  had  of  herself  passed  along 
the  length  of  the  great  cabbage  tree  and  got  down  by  the 
upturned  roots.  Without  waste  of  time  we  continued  our 
way,  keeping  within  the  grateful  shade  of  the  trees,  yet 
holding  on  within  sight  of  the  thicket  that  we  might  have 
some  notion,  however  vague,  of  our  whereabouts. 

We  kept  on  at  a  briskish  pace  without  stopping  (except 
that  once  I  went  a  little  out  of  my  way  to  pluck  some  guave 
apples,  which  were  a  great  refreshment  and  comfort  to  us) 
for  best  part  of  an  hour,  I  take  it,  by  which  time  the  nature 
of  the  ground  took  a  new  aspect,  and  seeing  some  dead 
reeds  entangled  in  the  branches  of  a  bush  I  perceived  they 
must  have  been  left  there  by  flood  of  waters.  This  led  me 
to  conclude  we  were  near  some  river,  which  gave  me  no 
small  satisfaction,  for  already  my  mind  was  becoming 
anxious  with  regard  to  the  question  of  water  to  drink.  As 
we  proceeded  the  traces  of  flood  became  more  plentiful, 
and  at  length  coming  to  the  verge  of  the  wood  we  found 
ourselves  on  the  edge  of  a  lagoon,  stretching  upwards  of  a 
mile  towards  a  broad  river,  whose  yellow  waters  were  cut 
off  from  the  blue  sea  by  a  long  neck  of  sand  that  extended 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

This  lagoon  was  a  dismal  waste  of  refuse  washed  down 
by  the  swollen  river  in  the  rainy  season,  for  as  yet  the  new 
growth  of  reeds  had  not  penetrated  the  mass,  except  here 
and  there  where  a  patch  of  tender  green  rose  amidst  the 
wide  expanse  of  rotting  vegetation.  But  if  the  foreground 
was  dismal  to  look  on,  the  eye  was  recompensed  by  that 
which  lay  beyond.  For  there  the  sky  was  pierced  by  the 
glittering  summits  of  prodigious  mountains,  whose  sides 
swept  down  to  lesser  hills  of  purple  rock,  and  these  again 
in  undulating  slopes  to  the  blue  sea  and  the  river,  which  on 
its  further  side  shone  like  gold  in  the  sunlight.  And  these 
lower  slopes  did  at  first  look  as  though  a  sunset  cloud  had 
settled  upon  them  ;  yet  at  a  second  glance  did  rather  seem 
as  if  they  were  covered  over  with  a  vast  tapestry,  in  which 
were  woven  all  shades  of  green,  mingled  with  bright 
patches  of  red  and  orange,  purple  and  rose-pink,  by  reason 


148  THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

of  the  many-hued  flowers  which  crowned  the  trees,  as  no 
traveler  shall  deny  who  has  cast  eyes  on  those  wondrous 
woods. 

For  a  minute  we  stood  still  looking  in  amaze  and  delight 
upon  this  prospect,  for  it  was  the  first  we  had  seen  of  those 
mountains,  but  then  we  bethought  us  of  those  wretches  we 
had  left  behind  (who  for  certain  would  stay  no  longer  than 
they  could  help  in  the  thorns),  and  likewise  I  perceived  we 
must  yet  follow  up  the  course  of  this  river  before  we  could 
get  water  fit  to  drink.  Added  to  which  the  lagoon  bred 
abundance  of  stinging  flies,  and  I  feared  there  might  like- 
wise be  reptiles  in  such  a  spot,  so  again  we  stepped  forward. 

Before  long  we  found  it  necessary  to  penetrate  further 
into  the  wood  by  reason  of  the  ground  rising  abruptly  from 
the  river  ;  yet  still  we  kept  as  near  as  might  be  to  the  river, 
every  now  and  again  pausing  in  our  upward  walk  where  a 
break  offered  view  of  the  river  below  and  the  mountains 
beyond. 

We  kept  on,  for  Lady  Biddy  would  not  allow  that  she 
was  fatigued,  until  I  heard,  as  I  thought,  the  breaking  of 
water  ;  and  passing  a  huge  rock  we  saw,  to  my  inexpressi- 
ble satisfaction,  a  silvery  stream  of  water  tumbling  down 
the  gorge  that  opened  before  us. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BY  MY  ARRANT  FOLLY  I    LOSE   MY  DEAR  \  4DY  BIDDY. 

THE  sides  of  this  gorge  (which  was  prodigiously  steep 
and  profound,  looking  as  if  the  rock  had  at  one  time 
been  riven  asunder)  were  craggy  and  barren,  save  here 
and  there  where  some  vines  and   brush   had   taken  root  in 
the  crannies  ;  however,  by  dint  of  agility  in   helping  each 
other  with  our  hands,  we  got  down  to  a  shelf  or  table  of 
rock  very  agreeably  covered  with  a  soft  sward,  where  we 
could  rest  in  comfort,  and  refresh  ourselves  to  our  hearts' 
content  with  the  wonderful  sweet  water  we  found  there  in  a 
pool  formed  by  a  hollow  of  the  rock. 

And  here  was  shade  from  the  sun  (which  was  now  at  its 
height),  and  a  litlle  cool  breeze  carried  down  by  the  falling 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          149 

water,  so  that  we  were  well  disposed  to  rest  awhile,  and 
overcome  the  fatigue  produced  by  our  long  and  difficult 
march,  to  say  nothing  of  the  exhaustion  which  we  owed  to 
the  terrors  of  the  morning.  It  seemed  to  me  prudent  also, 
as  well  as  pleasurable,  to  repose  till  the  heat  of  the  day  was 
moderated,  in  order  to  gain  strength  for  our  next  march, 
which  must  carry  us  beyond  the  reach  of  Rodrigues  and 
his  wicked  pirates,  and  as  no  place  could  be  more  proper 
for  that  purpose  than  this  (wherein  only  by  accident  could 
we  be  discovered),  I  tore  up  from  the  rock  half  a  dozen 
soft  turfs,  and,  disposing  them  like  a  pillow,  begged  Lady 
Biddy  to  lie  down  at  her  ease. 

Thanking  me  very  sweetly,  she  did  as  I  bade  her,  and 
presently  fell  asleep  as  gently  as  any  child,  which  gave  me 
exceeding  happiness,  for  it  showed  how  greatly  she  trusted 
in  my  protecting  care. 

For  some  time  I  sat  watching  her  face,  from  which 
peaceful  sleep  had  smoothed  away  all  traces  of  fear  and 
trouble,  observing  how  her  white  teeth  did  gleam  through 
her  parted  red  lips  ;  how  her  nether  lip  was  round,  and  her 
upper  lip  pointed  like  a  little  bow,  curved  up  ;  how  her 
dark  lashes  curled  ;  and  how  a  little  lock  of  hair  had  strayed 
from  her  gathered  tresses  and  fluttered  in  the  breeze  loose 
upon  her  pale  brow.  I  say  I  sat  noting  these  trifles  with 
an  indescribable  emotion  in  my  breast ;  and  truly,  if  all 
the  world  had  been  offered  me,  in  exchange  for  my  present 
condition,  I  would  have  refused  it  a  thousand  times.  Nay, 
so  selfish  did  my  great  joy  make  me,  that  I  believe  I  would 
not  have  undone  the  past,  though  it  had  been  to  Lady 
Biddy's  advantage. 

My  emotions  growing  by  indulgence,  and  passion  stir- 
ring within  me  as  I  feasted  my  eyes  upon  that  lovely  face, 
I  was  sorely  tempted  to  touch  her  head  with  my  fingers, 
yet  in  such  a  gentle  manner  as  it  should  not  awake  her  ; 
but  stretching  out  my  hand  I  seemed  to  see  upon  it  the 
blood  of  those  men  I  had  killed,  so  that  I  dropped  it  in 
shame,  thinking  what  a  wretch  I  was,  and  how  cowardly  to 
attempt  upon  her  sleeping  what  I  dared  not  offer  if  she 
were  waking  ;  moreover,  what  cleansing  of  my  heart  as 
well  as  of  my  hands  there  must  be  ere  I  might  touch  her 
without  reproach. 


i 50          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Taking  myself  to  task  in  this  manner,  I  perceived  that  I 
must  give  my  passion  no  loose,  lest  it  should  run  away 
with  me  ;  and  so,  turning  my  eyes  from  her  face,  I  set 
myself  to  think  about  the  future  and  what  measure  I  must 
take  for  my  tender  companion's  comfort,  as  being  vastly 
more  creditable  than  the  self-indulgence  I  had  given  way  to. 

And  first,  a  griping  in  my  vitals  did  put  me  in  mind  that 
we  could  not  live  on  guava  apples  and  water  alone,  but 
must  have  more  solid  victuals  to  strengthen  us  against  the 
hardships  of  traveling  in  the  desert  that  lay  before  us. 

How  was  I  to  get  meat  ?  Never  was  man  since  the  days 
of  Orson  so  naked  for  the  chase.  Not  a  bodkin  had  I  ; 
nay,  not  even  a  stick  with  which  to  strike  down  a  snake. 
Birds  we  had  seen  galore  in  the  fruitful  thicket,  and  think- 
ing of  the  savory  dish  I  might  make  of  a  young  macaw  for 
my  Lady  Biddy  put  me  in  mind  of  my  old  weapon — a  sling. 
Then  casting  about  for  material  to  make  this  simple 
engine,  I  bethought  me  of  my  shoe  that  was  furnished  with 
a  tongue,  very  proper  for  my  purpose.  Whereupon  I 
whipped  off  the  said  shoe,  and  getting  a  sharp-edged  stone 
I  made  a  shift  to  cut  it  out. 

"  Now,"  thinks  I,  "  if  I  had  but  a  thorn  for  an  awl,  and 
a  strip  of  silk  grass  for  a  thong,  the  business  would  be 
done  in  a  trice." 

Thorns  there  were  (and  to  spare)  in  the  thicket  above, 
and  I  doubted  not  I  might  also  find  grass  or  the  fibre  of  a 
palmetto  to  serve  my  turn.  And  seeing  that  I  could  get 
to  the  thicket  and  yet  keep  my  eye  on  Lady  Biddy  for  her 
safety,  I  cast  a  glance  at  my  companion,  whose  bosom  still 
heaved  very  gently  and  regularly  ;  and  satisfied  she  would 
not  awake  for  some  while,  I  rose  and  scaled  the  steep  side 
of  the  gorge. 

Being  come  to  the  top  I  looked  down  ;  my  lady  had  not 
stirred,  and  so  I  set  about  cheerfully  to  get  me  the  things  I 
needed.  After  a  little  search  I  found  a  sort  of  grass  nearly 
an  ell  long  and  reasonably  tough,  and  stripping  this  down 
so  as  to  get  the  mid-rib,  I  tested  it,  and  found  it  would 
serve  well  enough  for  a  few  casts.  As  for  a  thorn,  I  found 
that  without  seeking — a  stickle  as  long  as  a  cock's  spur  and 
as  sharp  as  any  needle  piercing  through  my  breeches  as  I 
stooped  to  pluck  a  blade  of  the  aforesaid  grass. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  15 1 

Having  all  that  I  needed  (and  more,  by  the  smarting 
wound  in  my  thigh),  I  went  back  to  the  edge  of  the  gorge 
whence  I  could  see  Lady  Biddy,  and  set  about  making  my 
sling.  This  being  done  to  my  satisfaction — not  so  stout  as 
I  could  wish,  but  good  enough  as  a  makeshift — I  hunted 
about  for  round  stones,  and  got  me  half  a  dozen  suitable 
enough.  And  now  being  armed,  I  itched  to  put  my  weapon 
to  its  use. 

There  was  not  a  sound  but  the  breaking  of  the  water, 
and  all  around  looked  so  still  and  peaceful  that  I  deemed 
I  might  safely  venture  to  ramble  a  little  way  in  quest  of 
game.  Yet  still  I  hesitated,  but  just  then  I  heard  the  whir 
of  wings  hard  by,  and  casting  my  eye  that  way,  spied  a  bird 
which  later  I  heard  the  Indians  call  a  macucagua,  about  the 
size  of  an  English  pheasant  and  not  unlike  it,  making  for  a 
plantain  tree  that  stood  in  a  coppice  not  far  distant.  I 
saw  him  alight  on  the  tree  and  attack  its  fruit,  on  which 
this  bird  is  a  greedy  feeder,  and  after  him  I  started  as 
stealthily  as  I  might,  that  he  should  not  take  wing  again 
before  I  got  within  range.  From  bush  to  bush  I  crept,  till, 
getting  pretty  close,  I  slipped  a  stone  into  the  sole  of  my 
sling,  and  stepping  into  the  open  gave  my  sling  a  twirl  and 
let  fly.  By  good  chance  my  shot  hit  the  bird  in  the  neck, 
and  so  much  to  his  damage  that  flying  up  he  beat  his  wings 
vainly  against  the  boughs  and  then  fell  fluttering  to  the 
ground.  Yet  was  he  only  stupefied  by  the  blow,  and,  being 
come  to  the  ground,  flew  up  again  away  for  a  furlong,  and 
thence  up  once  more  and  off  for  half  a  furlong  more,  so 
that  by  the  time  I  finally  overtook  him  and  put  an  end  to 
the  business  by  wringing  his  neck  I  was  pretty  well  three 
parts  of  a  mile  from  the  coppice  where  I  started.  How- 
ever, I  took  not  much  heed  of  this  or  of  the  time  it  had 
taken  me  to  steal  to  the  coppice  from  the  gorge,  being 
mightily  pleased  with  myself  for  my  address. 

Handling  my  bird  I  was  as  pleased  as  any  fool  to  observe 
how  fat  he  was,  to  find  that  he  weighed  four  pounds  if  an 
ounce,  etc.  :  nay,  I  was  so  fond  as  to  pluck  one  of  his  tail 
feathers  and  stick  it  in  my  coat  for  a  trophy.  Then  I  fell 
to  considering  how  I  should  dress  him,  and  remembering 
how  I  had  got  fire  by  rubbing  two  dry  sticks  together  that 
time  I  was  in  the  Oronoque,  I  wasted  another  ten  minutes 


152  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

in  seeking  wood  that  would  serve  my  turn  now.  In  short, 
by  the  time  I  had  brought  this  silly  business  to  an  end  and 
started  off  to  rejoin  Lady  Biddy,  more  than  half  an  hour 
was  gone  from  the  moment  I  began  it. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  edge  of  the  gorge  and  looked 
down,  I  came  to  a  stand  like  one  suddenly  bereft  of  his 
senses.  Lady  Biddy  was  gone  ! 

I  could  not  fetch  my  breath  ;  the  bird  that  was  paid  for 
so  dearly  slipped  from  my  powerless  fingers,  nor  did  I  ever 
see  anything  more  of  of  him  save  the  feather  I  had  stuck 
in  my  coat),  and  my  limbs  quaked  under  me.  Then  I 
would  not  believe  but  that  I  had  mistaken  the  place,  until  the 
turfs  I  had  pulled  up  for  a  pillow  met  my  eye  and  convinced 
me  that  it  was  there  and  nowhere  else  that  I  had  left  her. 

"  She  is  gone  !  "  I  moaned  ;  and  then,  striking  my 
breast  with  my  clenched  fist,  I  muttered,  "  And  thou, 
villain,  must  answer  for  her  fate." 

Then,  hoping  that  she  had  but  strolled  a  little  way  to 
find  me,  I  rushed  along  the  edge  of  the  ravine  to  a  rock 
that  hung  over  the  deep  cleft.  From  this  point  I  could 
see  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  where  the  stream  ran 
into  the  river.  Just  within  this  creek  lay  a  boat,  which  only 
too  clearly  discovered  the  reason  why  Lady  Biddy  was  no 
longer  where  I  had  left  her. 

At  that  very  moment  I  heard  her  voice  calling  faintly  as 
from  a  great  distance — 

"  Benet,  Benet !  "  Then  there  was  silence  while  I  looked 
in  vain  to  see  her  down  the  ravine,  doubting  not  that  she 
was  being  carried  away  to  the  boat  below. 

"  Benet !  "  she  cried,  yet  a  little  louder,  yet  still  faintly. 
"  Benet ! " 

I  felt  sure  that  she  saw  me  and  was  crying  for  help,  and 
it  maddened  me  that  I  could  not  see  her.  Nor  could  I 
guess  from  her  voice  in  what  part  of  the  ravine  she  had 
been  taken  for,  the  breaking  of  the  waters  and  the  echo  of 
the  rocks.  But  leaping  to  another  rock  and  craning  my 
neck  over,  I  caught  sight  of  two  fellows,  whom  I  knew  for 
Rodrigues'  rascals,  rounding  a  bend  of  the  gorge  below. 
And  one  of  them,  facing  about,  lifts  his  finger  warningly  as 
if  to  signal  those  who  followed  that  they  should  stifle  Lady 
Biddy's  cry  for  help. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE,          153 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

I    FIND  MY    LADY     BIDDY,    AND    WE   DESPOIL   OUR   ENEMIES  J 
WITH    OTHER    FACETIOUS   MATTER. 

THE  moment  I  concluded  that  those  wretches  at  the  foot 
of  the  ravine  were  carrying  off  Lady  Biddy  I  threw  my- 
self down  the  rocks  to  her  rescue  ;  and  had  the  chances 
of  breaking  my  neck  thereby  been  a  hundredfold  as  great  I 
should  not  have  hesitated.  For  I  considered  that  it  was  by 
my  fault  she  had  been  taken,  and  that  therefore  I  owed  my 
life  for  hers  ;  indeed,  I  valued  not  my  life  as  a  straw,  save 
as  it  might  be  of  service  to  her,  for  what  use  was  life  to  me 
without  her  ?  I  might  as  well  be  dead  and  forgotten  as 
alive  and  she  lost ;  nay  better,  for  to  live  bereft  for  ever  of 
her,  or  in  doubt  as  to  her  fate,  would  be  continual  misery 
and  the  cause  of  never-abating  self-reproach. 

With  these  thoughts  running  confusedly  in  my  head  and 
urging  me  to  desperate  leaps  which  I  had  never  dared  to 
attempt  in  cooler  blood,  I  descended  that  rocky  gorge 
like  any  bounding  ball,  till  coming  to  level  ground,  I  spied 
half  a  dozen  fellows  clustered  together  in  the  shadow  of  a 
rock  round  one  who  was  slicing  a  pine-nut  to  share  among 
them.  But  no  Lady  Biddy  could  I  see  ;  nor  was  there  any 
sign  of  her  between  them  and  the  boat  which  lay  hard  by  in 
the  creek,  as  I  have  said. 

By  this  time,  the  heat  of  my  spirits  being  somewhat  abated 
I  reasoned  with  myself  that  to  attack  those  six  men,  un- 
armed as  I  was,  would  be  a  piece  of  foolhardy  madness 
which  could  do  her  no  good,  nor  me  neither,  except  as  the 
cutting  of  my  throat  would  put  me  out  of  my  present  anx- 
iety, and  that  if  I  was  to  rescue  her  at  all  it  must  be  by  cun- 
ning. Whereof  I  set  myself  to  approach  them  unseen,  that 
I  might  learn,  if  possible,  where  they  had  bestowed  their 
captive,  and  this  I  did  without  great  difficulty,  for  here- 
abouts were  many  scattered  stones  and  abundant  growth  of 
prickly  shrubs,  ground-palms,  and  the  like. 

Being  come  so  nigh  them  that  I  could  hear  their  remarks 
upon  the  fruit  they  were  eating,  which  seemed  entirely  to 
occupy  their  thoughts,  I  waited  for  the  conversation  to  take 


»54          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

another  turn.  Presently  one  of  them,  flinging  himself  on 
the  ground,  says : 

"  Well,  mates,  I  take  it  we've  done  work  enough  for  this 
bout,  so  here  shall  I  lie  at  my  ease  till  it  be  time  to  fill  the 
barricoes  and  get  back  a  ship-board." 

"  Ay,  I'm  with  you  there,  Jack,"  says  another,  following 
his  example. 

The  rest  were  not  slow  to  lie  down  likewise,  save  one, 
who,  scratching  his  head,  says  : 

"  How  about  this  here  female  we  are  to  carry  back  alive 
or  dead  ? " 

"  Plague  take  her,  say  I,  and  the  likes  of  her,"  grunted 
he  who  spoke  first.  "  What  do  we  want  of  females  ?  She's 
brought  us  no  luck,  and  I'd  as  soon  see  a  rat  in  the  ship." 

"  So  say  I,"  chimed  in  his  mate.  "  The  other  fellows 
have  gone  after  her,  and  let  them  catch  her  if  they  may. 
For  my  own  part  I  wish  her  no  worse  luck  than  to  give 
them  leg-bail  and  lose  herself  in  these  woods.  You  don't 
catch  me  running  after  no  females  till  I  get  back  to  Pen- 
zance." 

Hearing  this  I  was  struck  with  amazement,  and  could 
not  too  much  admire  my  folly  in  rushing  headlong  into 
danger  without  proper  occasion.  For  now  I  readily  per- 
ceived what  was  the  fact,  that  Lady  Biddy,  awaking  after 
my  departure,  had  caught  sight  of  the  men  at  the  foot  of 
the  gorge  and  taken  measures  to  conceal  herself  from  dis- 
covery should  they  ascend.  While  thus  hidden  she  had 
seen  me  come  upon  that  point  of  rock,  and  to  attract  my 
attention,  had  called  me  by  name  as  loud  as  she  dared.  My 
descent  had  been  too  furious  for  her  to  stop  me  by  her 
further  cries,  which  were  lost  upon  my  ear  ;  and  thus,  in 
going  to  her,  as  I  thought,  had  drawn  myself  away. 

However,  it  was  with  a  glad  heart  that  I  perceived  my 
folly,  and  stealthily  withdrew  from  those  men  whom  a  few 
minutes  earlier  I  was  like  to  have  fallen  among,  and  turned 
to  follow  the  course  of  the  torrent  to  the  level  above. 

I  made  short  work  of  this  business  when  I  was  fairly  out 
of  sight  of  the  seamen,  and  before  long  I  again  heard  that 
sweet  voice  calling,  "  Benet,  Benet !  "  upon  which,  casting 
my  eyes  eagerly  about,  I  descried  my  dear  Lady  Biddy  in 
a  little  natural  cavern  formed  by  two  leaning  rocks.  She 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          IS5 

cfasped  her  hands,  and  her  face  beamed  with  joy  to  see  me 
again  ;  but  if  she  was  pleased — lord  !  what  was  I  ?  Then 
we  sat  down  together  and  narrated  our  experiences,  I 
blaming  myself  hugely  for  my  headstrong  conduct  ;  yet  still 
she  smiled. 

"  Won't  you  be  angry  with  me,  Lady  Biddy,  for  my  rash- 
ness ? "  says  I. 

"  Nay,"  says  she  ;  "you  may  blame  yourself,  but  I  cannot; 
for  was  it  not  to  save  me  you  encountered  this  danger  ? 
Since  it  has  ended  thus,  I  can  but  be  pleased  with  this 
proof  of  your  devotion.  Yet,  when  I  call  again,  I  would 
not  have  you  run  away." 

Then  we  were  silent  awhile ;  I  know  not  why,  except 
that  I  was  too  happy  to  speak. 

But  presently,  reflecting  on  the  dangers  we  had  escaped, 
and  considering  how  we  might  yet  be  encompassed  by  those 
who  had  given  us  chase  on  the  sands — for,  if  one  parcel  of 
wretches  came  hither  by  accident,  why  might  not  the  rest  ? 
— it  came  into  my  head  that  if  we  could  descend  and  pos- 
sess ourselves  of  the  empty  boat  while  the  men  were  yet 
sleeping,  we  might  come  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and 
so  secure  ourselves  from  pursuit.  This  scheme  did  so 
recommend  itself  to  me  that  I  at  once  propounded  it  to 
Lady  Biddy. 

"  Have  you  not  run  enough  risk,  Benet  ? "  she  asked,  a 
little  frightened  by  the  audacity  of  my  design. 

"  Ay,"  says  I  ;  "  and  'tis  for  that  very  reason  I  would 
put  that  broad  river  betwixt  us  and  the  recurrence  of  such 
risks." 

"  As  you  will,"  says  she,  with  spirit.  "  If  it  ought  to  be 
done,  you  shall  not  find  me  wanting  in  courage." 

I  gave  her  my  reasons  for  thinking  it  should  be  at- 
tempted, and  she  was  the  first  to  rise,  saying,  as  she  did  so  : 

"  I  am  ready.     Let  us  set  about  it  at  once." 

So,  with  good  heart,  we  started  to  encounter  this  new 
peril. 

First  of  all  we  followed  the  stream  of  waterfalls  till  we 
found  a  part  where  we  could  cross  to  the  other  side,  and, 
getting  over  without  great  difficulty,  we  scaled  the  further 
slope,  that  from  the  ridge  we  might  discover  some  other 
way  of  reaching  the  river-side  than  by  the  gorge. 


IS6  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

And  here  we  found  the  hill-side  clothed  with  a  very  dense 
wood,  having  but  little  undergrowth  because  of  the  shade. 
By  running  from  tree  to  tree  we  managed  very  well  to 
break  the  descent,  and  came  at  length  into  wet  ground  ; 
but  in  these  parts  there  is  no  danger  or  hardship  in  wetting 
the  feet  ;  so  along  this  level  we  made  our  way  till  we  came 
to  a  great  growth  of  reeds  that  stood  like  a  green  wall  be- 
fore us.  Here  we  went  up  a  little,  for  the  reeds  betokened 
deeper  water,  besides  being  a  harbor  for  cockodrills  and 
water-snakes  ;  then,  pushing  on  still  further,  we  reached 
the  end  of  that  reedy  growth,  and  perceived  we  were  come 
to  the  creek  where  the  stream  discharged  itself,  and  not  a 
stone's  throw  from  the  boat.  Whereupon  I  bade  Lady 
Biddy  wait  there  patiently  awhile,  and  crept  forward,  under 
cover  of  the  bush,  until  I  caught  sight  of  the  seamen. 
They  were  all  asleep  like  so  many  logs,  and  most  of  them 
on  their  faces,  as  is  the  manner  of  mariners  when  they 
slumber. 

Coming  from  my  cover  I  stepped  into  the  stream,  which 
spread  out  and  was  of  considerable  depth,  and  carefully 
waded  to  the  boat,  unhitched  the  head  line  from  the  bush 
to  which  it  was  attached,  and  letting  it  swing  dut  into  the 
current  drew  it  as  gently  as  might  be  to  that  spot  where 
Lady  Biddy  was  waiting  in  pale  concern. 

I  beckoned  to  her,  and  she  came  boldly  out  and  stepped 
noiselessly  into  the  boat  ;  then  got  I  in  after  her,  and,  tak- 
ing up  an  oar,  shoved  gently  out  over  the  shoal  until  I  had 
depth  and  room  to  ply  my  oars.  Still  was  I  obliged  to  be 
stealthy,  for  we  were  yet  within  gunshot,  and  the  fellows 
had  their  muskets  with  them  ;  nor  had  they  left  a  weapon 
in  the  boat  save  only  one  sword,  which,  however,  was  a 
treasure  to  me.  So  then  I  pulled  for  some  while  very 
gently,  but  getting  a  furlong  from  the  shore  I  laid  to  with  a 
will  ;  and  it  was  a  great  delight  to  see  how  Lady  Biddy  did 
smile  and  rub  her  hands  together  for  glee. 

Now,  being  out  a  good  way,  I  saw  that  this  was  no  river 
at  all,  so  far  as  I  could  make  out,  but  only  a  great  lake  of 
water  made  by  the  stream  that  rushed  down  the  hills  and 
flooded  the  valley  in  the  rainy  season.  There  was  no  break 
in  the  chain  of  hills  that  environed  us,  and  we  were,  as  it 
seemed,  in  the  centre  of  a  prodigious  hollow.  And  these 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  157 

slopes  were  all  clothed  with  trees  in  bloom  (the  flowering 
season  not  yet  being  over),  and  wherever  the  eye  rested  it 
was  delighted  with  glowing  hues,  brilliant  where  the  sun 
fell,  and  delicate  in  the  shade,  so  that  looking  around  it  was 
as  if  a  thick  haze  of  color  rose  from  these  woods. 

"  It  is  like  a  land  of  faerie,"  said  Lady  Biddy  ;  and,  in- 
deed, it  did  seem  like  enchantment.  Yet  was  I  sorry  this 
was  not  a  river,  but  only  a  kind  of  lagoon  ;  however,  I 
knew  it  would  cost  our  pursuers  a  week  to  get  at  us  by 
going  round  the  lake  by  those  thick,  tangled  woods  ;  nor 
could  they  fetch  another  boat  to  our  pursuit  without  giving 
us  ample  time  for  escape. 

As  we  neared  the  opposite  shore  the  chain  of  mountains 
disappeared  behind  the  nearer  hills,  which  showed  that 
they  were  at  a  considerable  distance  ;  but  this  gave  me  no 
great  concern.  Nor  did  I  cast  my  eyes  that  way  frequently, 
being  more  intent  to  see  if  the  fellows  had  discovered  the 
loss  of  their  boat.  We  reached  the  shore,  and  yet  I  could 
see  no  sign  of  their  moving,  though  I  plainly  descried  the 
rock  against  which  they  lay. 

We  had  fallen  down  a  little  towards  the  sea  by  reason  of 
a  current  where  the  lake,  as  I  call  it,  disembogued  into  the 
sea  beyond  the  bar  of  sand,  so  that  when  we  landed  we 
perceived  the  black  ship  lying  out  at  her  moorings,  but 
happily  at  a  great  distance. 

I  pulled  the  boat  into  the  bank,  which  was  here  washed 
by  the  current  free  of  the  refuse  that  lay  upon  the  other 
side,  and  having  helped  Lady  Biddy  to  land,  I  fetched  the 
sword  out  of  the  boat,  and  drawing  it  from  its  scabbard 
found  it  was  as  a  good  sword  as  any  could  wish  to  have, 
which  was  a  great  comfort  to  me. 

While  I  was  making  fast  the  boat  I  was  startled  by  a 
loud  thump  in  the  hinder  part  of  it ;  but  upon  opening  the 
locker  to  see  what  might  have  caused  this  noise,  I  dis- 
covered then  to  my  great  delight  a  tortugua  *  lying  on  his 
back.  Then,  calling  Lady  Biddy,  I  bade  her  come  and 
look  at  the  supper  our  enemies  had  provided  for  us.  At 
first  she  was  frightened  at  the  sight  of  this  poor,  inoffensive 
creature,  never  having  seen  the  like  before  ;  but  when  I 

*  Turtle.— F.  B 


158  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

told  her  that  it  was  excellent  meat  as  any  prince  might  eat, 
she  was  as  pleased  as  I,  being  by  this  time  pretty  sharp  set. 
Then,  having  both  a  mind  to  make  our  supper  whilst  we 
might,  she  set  about  to  gather  sticks  for  a  fire  while  I  dis- 
patched the  tortugua  and  cut  some  steaks  ready  for  dress- 
ing with  my  sword-blade,  for  other  cutlery  had  we  none. 

While  I  was  still  at  this  business,  Lady  Biddy  comes 
back  with  her  arms  full  of  sticks,  and  very  cheerful. 

"  But,  Benet,"  says  she,  of  a  sudden,  dropping  the  wood 
and  turning  aghast,  "  what  is  the  use  of  wood  with  nothing 
to  light  it  ? " 

So  I  showed  her  how  to  get  fire  by  rubbing  two  bits  of 
touchwood  together,  and  to  see  us  on  our  knees  blowing  the 
embers  into  a  flame,  choking  as  the  smoke  got  into  our 
throats,  and  laughing  as  we  rubbed  our  smarting  eyes,  all 
as  merry  as  grigs,  one  would  have  thought  we  had  come 
there  a  pleasuring  and  had  no  trouble  in  the  world.  It  is 
clear  enough  why  I  was  happy,  but  I  can  only  explain  Lady 
Biddy's  lightness  of  heart  by  contrasting  her  present  con- 
dition with  the  days  and  nights  of  terror  and  bitter  suffer- 
ing that  had  gone  before. 

Be  that  how  it  may,  I  know  this,  that,  as  we  knelt  before 
the  fire  cooking  our  steaks  on  the  end  of  sticks,  we  had  to 
lay  them  down  foMaughing,  when  we  heard  the  poor  fools 
on  the  other  side  of  the  lake  firing  off  their  muskets  in 
rage  to  find  their  boat  gone,  and  to  see  the  smoke  of  the 
fire  at  which  we  were  cooking  their  tortugua  for  our  own 
comfort.  Indeed,  to  think  of  the  plight  of  those  who  did 
seek  to  do  us  mortal  hurt — one  party  cursing  in  the  midst 
of  tearing  thorns,  and  the  other  with  no  means  of  getting 
back  to  their  ship  but  by  threading  intricate  woods,  with  a 
sorry  reception  when  they  showed  themselves  to  their 
captain  at  last — was  enough  to  make  any  cat  laugh. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          1$9 
CHAPTER  XXX. 

I    FIND    MYSELF    IN    THE    PARADISE    OF    FOOLS. 

WHEN  we  had  regaled  ourselves  6n  the  steaks  of  the 
tortugua,  which  is  a  sweet,  wholesome,  and  excellent 
meat,  we  rambled  together  into  the  woods  in  search 
of  fruit  to  quench  our  thirst,  for  water  there  was  none  save 
that  of  the  lake,  which  was  troubled  and  brackish  and  not 
good  to  drink. 

On  my  way  I  pointed  out  to  my  lady  those  fruits  which 
were  venomous,  for  there  are  many  such — nay,  there  be 
some  plants  whose  flowers  are  terribly  unwholesome  to 
smell — and  those  which  are  sweet  and  good  ;  of  these  lat- 
ter we  ate  freely,  also  I  did  cull  here  and  there  a  flower 
whose  delicacy  and  sweetness  stayed  her  to  admire. 

But  while  we  were  looking  for  pine-nuts,  which  I  deem 
the  most  estimable  fruit  that  exists,  I  found  that  which  was 
better  for  quenching  our  thirst  than  fruits.  This  was  a 
tree,  about  twelve  or  fifteen  fathoms  high,  with  leaves  as 
broad  as  a  hand  and  as  long  as  one's  forearm,  which  I  had 
found  in  the  Oronoque  country.  With  a  cry  of  gladness  I 
bade  Lady  Biddy  look  to  see  a  new  marvel,  and  drawing 
my  sword  I  gave  the  trunk  a  fair  cut ;  from  this  wound 
there  started  forth  a  thick  white  juice,  and  by  the  time  I 
had  found  a  broad  clean  leaf  and  folded  it  to  serve  as  a 
vessel,  the  juice  was  running  out  abundantly.  Clapping  my 
folded  leaf  below  the  wound  I  had  in  a  few  minutes  as  much 
as  the  leaf  would  contain,  which  was  the  best  part  of  a  pint, 
and  this  I  bade  Lady  Biddy  to  drink  of  without  fear.  At  the 
first  sip  she  declared  it  was  excellent  good  milk  as  ever  she 
did  taste,  and  so  it  was,  as  I  found  when  my  turn  came  to 
drink.  This  tree,  I  say,  is  common  in  Guiana,  and  I  go 
about  to  insist  upon  it,  because  I  have  found  many  here 
in  England  who  would  not  have  it  such  a  thing  is  in  na- 
ture, albeit  they  will  readily  accept  as  probable  many  stories 
of  travelers  that  are  outrageously  impossible,  wherein  they 
resemble  him  who  strains  at  a  gnat  and  swallows  a  camel. 

Now  being  quite  refreshed  we  returned  to  the  shore, 
where,  seeing  the  fire  yet  smouldering,  I  bethought  me  to 
cook  the  rest  of  the  tortuga  as  a  provision  for  the  morrow. 


160  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

With  a  stick  I  raked  a  hole  in  the  midst  of  the  embers ; 
then  at  the  bottom  I  set  a  flat  clean  stone  for  a  hearth, 
and  on  this  I  laid  as  much  of  the  meat  as  was  fit  to  eat, 
turning  it  over  from  to  time  to  brown  on  that  hot  stone. 

As  soon  as  Lady  Biddy  saw  what  I  was  at,  and  the  man- 
ner of  doing  it,  she  said: 

"  That  is  a  woman's  work,  Benet,  which  I  can  do  as  well 
as  you  may.  Leave  this  business  to  me,  I  pray  you,  and 
occupy  yourself  with  the  serious  matters  that  are  beyond 
my  capacity":  and  though  she  meant  no  reproach,  I  felt 
certain,  these  words  put  me  in  mind  that  I  was  in  a  fool's 
paradise. 

"  Fool  ! "  says  I  to  myself,  as  I  left  her  side,  "think  you 
this  happiness  can  endure  ?  Are  you  so  fond  as  to  imagine 
that  this  savage  life,  which  is  a  joy  for  you,  is  fit  for  a  lady 
of  gentle  breeding  and  refined  sentiments — that,  because 
you  can  picture  no  greater  joy  than  to  live  with  her  alone 
in  this  wilderness,  she  can  desire  no  better  companion  than 
you  ?  Because  her  mind  is  enfeebled  by  long  days  and 
nights  of  suspense  and  terrible  doubts,  she  rejoices  like  a 
child  in  the  beauty  of  flowers  and  the  taste  of  fruits ;  she 
can  join  with  you  in  laughter  at  the  discomfiture  of  her 
enemies  ;  she  can  readily  accommodate  herself  to  the  rude 
necessities  of  her  condition,  but,  when  her  mind  recovers  its 
strength  and  composure,  nothing  in  this  wilderness,  how- 
ever beautiful  and  enchanting  it  be,  can  content  her  tor  the 
loss  of  gentle  friends,  and  the  absence  of  those  delicate 
enjoyments  which  have  made  her  what  she  is.  To-morrow 
she  will  weep,  for  she  is  a  Christian  lady,  and  thou  art  but 
a  savage." 

With  these  arguments  did  I  bring  myself  to  a  clearer 
perception  of  our  estate  and  of  my  duty,  which  was  to 
sacrifice  myself  rather  than  Lady  Biddy  ;  to  endeavor  my 
utmost  to  bring  her  to  her  friends,  and  therein  shrink  not 
before  any  pain  to  myself.  "  And  truly,"  adds  I,  address- 
ing myself  as  before — "  truly  your  own  interest  prescribes 
this  course,  for  how  can  you  hope  to  win  the  esteem  of  that 
dear  creature  unless  you  do  deserve  it  ?  If,  instead  of  yield- 
ing her  to  your  friends,  you  followed  the  bent  of  evil  incli- 
nation, and  led  her  whither  no  help  could  reach  her,  then 
would  there  be  not  a  pin  for  her  to  choose  betwixt  you  and 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          161 

such  a  villain  as  Rodrigues  ;  and  though  she  regards  you 
now  with  trust  and  tenderness,  how  must  her  feelings  change 
to  contempt  and  disgust  if  she  find  you  are  but  an  enemy, 
betraying  her  to  your  own  selfish  ends,  under  the  mask  of 
friendship  !  " 

Notwithstanding  this  reasoning,  I  was  sadly  downcast, 
and  had  no  more  relish  for  duty  than  if  the  argument  had 
been  all  on  t'other  side.  And  so,  being  come  to  the  edge 
of  the  sea,  I  stood  there  with  my  arms  folded,  looking  out 
over  the  sea,  very  down  in  the  mouth,  and  as  sluggish  in 
my  mind  as  if  I  had  nought  to  do  but  to  stand  there  all  the 
rest  of  my  days. 

From  this  torpor  I  was  aroused  by  Lady  Biddy  coming 
to  my  side,  so  softly  that  I  had  not  in  my  dull  mood  heard 
her  approach,  and  touching  my  arm. 

Starting  in  surprise  and  turning  about,  I  found  her  look- 
ing very  gravely  and  wistfully  into  my  face  ;  for  I  must 
think  that  the  dear  soul,  seeing  me  go  off  silent  and  heavy, 
and  standing  apart  with  a  moody  aspect,  had  concluded 
that  I  was  hurt  by  her  taking  the  cooking  of  the  tortuga 
out  of  my  hands. 

"  I  have  cooked  the  meat ;  but  now,"  says  she,  with  a 
little  shrug  and  a  smile,  "  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with  it." 

An  ordinary  woman  in  her  place  would  have  asked  what 
ailed  me  so  suddenly  ;  but  she  was  of  a  finer  and  more 
delicate  nature,  and  sought  to  reconcile  me  without  causing 
me  to  blush  for  taking  umbrage  at  a  trifle. 

For  my  own  part  I  was  glad  to  believe  she  had  mistaken 
the  cause  of  my  disorder,  and  was  better  content  she  should 
think  me  a  fool  than  a  rogue.  But  I  felt  vastly  ashamed 
of  myself,  for  all  that,  to  find  that  my  demeanor  had  dis- 
covered me.  However,  I  did  my  best  to  make  amends  for 
my  sullen  humor  by  rousing  myself  to  a  cheerful  complexion 
as  I  answered  her. 

"Why,"  says  I,  "the  meat  must  be  wrapped  in  fresh 
leaves,  as  well  to  preserve  it  from  the  flies  as  to  keep  it 
cool  and  clean  for  our  use  in  traveling  ;  and  as  I  have  not 
yet  decided  which  course  it  will  be  best  to  take,  for  it  is  a 
serious  and  grave  question,  I  will  leave  you  to  seek  leaves 
for  that  purpose." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  says  she  cheerfully.     "I  want  to  be 


1 62  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

useful  if  I  may  ;  but  I  will  bring  the  leaves  for  you  to  see, 
lest  the  napkin  poison  our  food." 

Thus  by  a  little  deception  did  I  restore  her  better  opinion 
of  my  temper,  at  the  same  time  that  her  pretty  behavior 
roused  me  to  a  more  manly  feeling. 

Presently  she  comes  back  with  a  store  of  leaves,  which  1 
found  very  proper  for  her  use,  and  then  away  she  trips  to 
pack  the  meat. 

When  I  had  settled  what  was  best  to  be  done,  I  went  to 
her  and  found  she  had  just  finished  her  business,  and 
admirably  neat  she  had  done  it,  so  that  I  was  forced  to 
admit  I  could  never  have  succeeded  so  well,  which  I  thought 
it  gave  her  great  pleasure  to  hear. 

"  And  have  you  decided  what  we  are  to  do  next  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  I  am  not  so  fixed  but  that  I  should  be  glad  to  have  your 
opinion,"  says  I ;  and  if  you  will  come  down  to  the  point 
whence  I  have  been  surveying  our  position,  you  may  more 
readily  judge  what  we  may  do  for  the  best." 

"  You  will  make  me  vain,  Benet,"  says  she,  with  a  smile. 

"  Now,"  says  I,  when  we  were  come  to  the  shore,  "  tell 
me  if  you  can  see  any  trace  of  our  pursuers  opposite." 

"  No,  I  can  see  none  of  them — nothing  moving,"  says 
she,  after  looking  intently. 

"  Then  we  may  take  it  they  are  making  their  way  round 
the  coast  to  rejoin  their  comrades  who  came  in  the  other 
boat.  By  this  time  probably  all  the  crew  is  on  the  shore, 
looking  for  water.  Unless  they  find  a  spring  or  a  stream 
to  the  west,  which  is  little  likely  by  the  position  of  the  hills, 
they  will  come  here  again  to  the  stream  yonder.  But  to 
fill  their  barricoes  they  must  bring  round  a  boat  ;  now  I 
can  see  none  as  far  as  my  vision  reaches — can  you  ?  " 

She  scanned  the  distance  carefully,  and  replied  that  she 
saw  nothing  betwixt  us  and  the  ship. 

"  It  is  probable,"  says  I,  "  that  the  men  will  content 
themselves  with  fruit  for  the  present ;  but  when  Rodrigues 
learns  that  we  have  taken  the  boat,  anc  that  there  is  water 
in  this  part,  he  will  send  other  boats  hither.  That  is  not 
likely  to  happen  for  some  hours.  In  the  mean  while  we 
must  escape,  and  I  think  it  will  be  best  to  do  so  in  the 
boat.  We  are  too  far  distant  to  be  perceived  from  the  ship  ; 


THE   ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  163 

and  even  if  we  be,  we  have  such  a  start  of  them  as  they 
can  not  hope  to  fetch  up  with  us,  for  if  we  see  our  pursuers 
a  mile  off  we  may  take  to  the  woods." 

"  Where  do  you  reckon  to  go  in  the  boat  ?  "  asks  Lady 
Biddy. 

"  Why,"  says  I,  "betwixt  the  chain  of  hills  that  surrounds 
us  and  those  mountains  we  saw  beyond,  there  should  be  a 
valley,  and  there  should  be  a  river  to  carry  off  the  waters 
that  flow  from  the  mountains.  If  we  are  to  find  a  town  of 
Christians  it  should  be  at  the  mouth  of  that  river,  for  there 
would  lie  the  most  fitting  place  to  receive  the  produce 
brought  down  by  the  river  from  the  interior  parts  of  the 
country." 

"  Then  you  intend  to  make  for  that  town  ?  "  says  she, 
opening  wide  her  eyes,  as  I  deemed  (not  without  a  pang  of 
jealousy),  with  delight. 

"  Yes,"  says  I. 

"  But,  Benet,"  says  she,  "  this  may  be  the  very  town 
Rodrigues  spoke  of  as  the  one  he  intended  to  go  to — the 
place  where  he  has  friends.  Still,  the  town  must  be  far 
hence,  or  he  would  not  have  cast  anchor  where  he  has." 

"  Why,  that  is  true,"  says  I,  greatly  admiring  this  girl's 
quick  reasoning. 

"  In  that  case  we  may  embark  at  once,  and  escape  our 
present  danger.  We  ought  not  to  lose  that  chance,  for  you 
see  how  poor  I  am  upon  my  feet." 

"  I  will  not  admit  that  ;  but  you  are  right  in  all  else  you 
have  put  forward,  and  so  let  us  embark  at  once,"  says  I. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

WE  THINK    THE    WORST  OF  OUR   TROUBLES   ARE   OVER  J    BUT 
THEY    ARE    NOT. 

BEFORE  we  departed  from  that  place  I  wounded  the 
milk-tree  in  divers   places,  and,  with    Lady    Biddy's 
help,  drew  off  nigh   upon  half  a  gallon  of  juice,  with 
which  we  filled  a  small  keg  which,  as  luck  would   have  it, 
the  seamen  had  left  in  the  locker.     Also  I  cut  a  fan-shaped 
palmetto-leaf  with  a  long  stem  for  Lady  Biddy  to  protect 


164          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

her  head,  and  likewise  I  got  a  leaf  for  my  own  crown,  tying 
it  under  my  chin  with  that  sling  I  had  in  my  pocket,  for 
though  the  sun  was  now  sinking  his  heat  was  prodigious. 
Then,  with  our  store  of  provisions  in  the  locker,  we  slipped 
out  with  the  current — the  tide  of  the  sea  being  yet  at  ebb — 
and  passing  the  bar  came  into  the  open  water,  which  was  as 
smooth  and  fair  as  the  sky  above. 

Looking  about  us  we  were  comforted  to  perceive  no  boat 
nor  any  sign  of  our  enemy  nearer  than  the  black  ship, 
which  lay  best  part  of  two  leagues,  as  I  judged,  to  the  east. 
This  distance  I  strove  to  increase  by  laying  vigorously  on 
to  my  oars  and  making  for  the  west  ;  but  by  keeping  too 
close  in  shore  I  ran  presently  on  a  sandbank  ;  and,  getting 
off  that,  grounded  shortly  after  on  a  second  ;  and  thence 
on  a  third  ;  till  at  length,  seeing  that  I  made  less  speed 
than  haste,  I  was  compelled  to  pull  out  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
or  more  for  deeper  water,  and  so  get  free  of  those  plaguy 
sands. 

However,  I  was  consoled  for  the  loss  of  time  and  my 
discomfort  by  the  pleasure  of  Lady  Biddy,  as  we  thus  again 
obtained  a  view  of  the  majestic  mountains  I  have  spoken 
of.  Indeed,  I  was  fain  to  lose  another  five  minutes,  resting 
on  my  oars,  and  looking  over  my  shoulder  at  the  superb 
spectacle  ;  for  the  sun,  being  now  in  its  decline,  did  light 
up  these  mountains  so  that  they  were  glorious  to  behold. 
Some  of  the  peaks  burnt  and  sparkled  like  cut  diamonds — 
indeed,  they  may  have  been  crystal,  for  all  I  know  to  the 
contrary — while  others  shot  up  like  tongues  of  flame,  as  if 
the  sun  by  its  near  approach  had  set  them  afire  ;  then  those 
further  from  his  course  shone  all  rosy,  pink  with  shadows 
of  tender  violet. 

Lower  down,  their  sides  glowed  with  rich  shades  of  pur- 
ple, yet  painted  over  with  a  soft  bloom  like  any  plum.  As 
for  the  valley  below,  'twas  like  naught  in  the  world  but  a 
great  maze  of  lilac-bushes,  by  reason  of  the  flowering  trees. 

Quitting  this  prospect  I  scanned  the  sea  very  closely,  yet 
could  I  see  nothing  like  a  sail  of  any  kind,  which  made  me 
doubt  whether  there  lay  any  town  in  those  parts  we  were 
coming  to  ;  for  if  there  were,  then  most  likely  would  there 
be  fishers  ;  and  with  a  smooth  sea  and  a  gentle  air,  they 
:  u  rely  would  be  abroad  casting  nets  at  this  time.  This 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          165 

raised  a  secret  joy  in  my  heart  ;  but,  Lord!  when  I  glanced 
back  at  those  incredibly  high  mountains,  I  was  awed  by  the 
vastness  of  the  wilderness  in  which  we  must  somewhere 
make  a  dwelling-place. 

To  make  up  for  lost  time  I  now  bent  my  back  to  the  work 
before  me,  and  rowed  on  very  steadily,  only  casting  my  eye 
round  over  my  shoulder  from  time  to  time  for  my  guidance. 
Lady  Biddy  was  very  thoughtful  and  grave,  as  if  she  like- 
wise was  impressed  with  awe  by  the  aspect  of  those  vast 
mountains.  Moreover,  she  was  recovering  that  strength 
and  composure  of  mind  which  enabled  her  to  gauge  her 
condition  justly,  as  I  had  foreseen  ;  and  this  she  could  not 
do  without  perceiving  how  slender  was  the  thread  of  hope 
that  held  her  from  despair.  But,  despite  the  return  of 
strength,  there  was  more  in  her  heart  than  she  could  bear  ; 
and  when  she  had  been  sitting  in  silence  thus  some  while, 
she  turned  her  head  aside,  as  if  to  scan  the  shore,  but  it 
was  that  I  should  not  see  her  eyes.  Presently  she  stole  her 
hand  up  and  gently  wiped  away  a  tear  that  was  stealing 
down  her  cheek,  and  I  saw  a  movement  of  her  fair  throat, 
as  though  she  were  choking  down  a  sob.  And  this  so 
moved  me  that  I  had  much  ado  to  keep  from  weeping  in 
sympathy. 

She  gave  another  little  gulp,  and  pushed  again  the  tear 
from  her  cheek — poor  soul,  she  had  no  handkerchief  ;  and 
then  with  an  effort  turns  to  me,  and,  seeing  my  long  face, 
laughed  faintly,  though  her  eyes  were  yet  full. 

"  We're  better  off  than  we  were  this  time  yesterday,"  says 
I  as  cheerfully  as  I  could,  but  with  a  horrid  thick  voice. 

"  Ay,"  says  she,  "  and  'tis  ungrateful  and  foolish  to  for- 
get it." 

"  Why,  as  for  that,"  says  I,  "a  scald  will  smart  none  the 
less  for  your  getting  out  of  hot  water.  But  'tis  a  comfort 
to  know  that  we  are  not  likely  to  get  into  the  same  broth 
again,  and  may  reasonably  hope  to  be  relieved  of  our  pain 
in  time,  and  not  long  neither,  which  will  give  us  patience  to 
endure  our  present  ills." 

"  I  will  be  patient  ;  indeed  I  will,"  says  she  earnestly. 
"  'Tis  the  least  I  can  do  in  return  for  your  goodness, 
Benet." 

"  Let  us  talk  of  something  else,"  says  I. 


1 66  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAtfE. 

"  Can  you  make  any  guess  as  to  where  we  are  ?  "  she  asks 
presently. 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  with  as  stout  a  voice  as  if  I  were  telling  the 
truth,  "  I  make  no  question  of  our  whereabouts,  or  I  should 
not  have  spoken  so  hopefully." 

"  But  you  did  not  seem  to  know  before  we  started  " — 
with  a  shjrewd  glance. 

"No,  for  then  I  could  not  see  the  run  of  the  mountains. 
Now,  when  we  landed  before  supper  I  could  not  have  sworn 
but  we  were  in  Campeachy,  or  Honduras,  or  the  Isle  of 
Cuba." 

"  How  could  you  know  after  we  had  eaten  ?  "  says  she. 

"Because  our  thirst  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  milk-tree. 
Then  I  knew  we  must  be  in  Guiana,  for  they  grow  no- 
where else  ";  adding  to  myself,  "for  aught  I  know." 

A  little  smile  of  satisfaction  played  about  her  face  ;  then 
she  asked  eagerly: 

"  And  what  have  you  learnt  by  the  run  of  the  moun- 
tains ? " 

"  Why,  that  we  can't  be  many  miles  from  the  Gulf  of 
Paria.  For,  if  you  will  recall  Sir  Bartlemy's  chart  to  mind, 
you  will  remember  that  the  only  mountains  in  Guiana  that 
run  by  the  sea  are  there." 

"  What  part  of  the  chart,  Benet  ? "  says  she,  knitting  her 
brows. 

"  Up  at  the  top,  against  Trinidado." 

"  Oh  !  I  remember,"  said  she,  clapping  her  hands  joyfully. 
"  Why,  that  is  close  to  where  you  left — left  him  !  " 

"  Yes,"  says  I ;  "  and  the  very  place  Sir  Bartlemy  will  go 
to  refit,  if  I  know  aught  about  the  matter." 

In  this  way  did  I  bring  her  round  to  a  more  cheerful 
temper  and  a  forgetfulness  of  her  position.  Nay,  I  almost 
cheated  myself  in  trying  to  deceive  her.  For,  to  tell  the 
truth,  I  had  no  honest  opinion  that  we  were  near  Paria,  else 
had  we  seen  by  this  time  Margarita,  or  some  of  those  isles 
thereabouts.  Rather  I  was  inclined  to  think  we  were  over 
against  the  mountains  of  Guayva.  However,  I  believe  w« 
were  in  neither  the  one  place  nor  the  other  but  on  the  coast 
of  Darian — these  huge  mountains  being  a  spur  of  the  Andes; 
and  if  we  were  not  there,  then  I  know  not  where  we  were. 

I  kept  on  long  after  the  sun  had  set,  nor  would  I  have 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  167 

stayed  when  I  did  but  for  the  rocks  which  began  to  encum- 
ber the  shore,  and  my  fear  to  venture  far  abroad  lest  some 
current  should  get  me  into  trouble. 

Coming  no-.v  to  a  kind  of  cove,  well  sheltered  with  rocks 
and  convenient  to  abide  in,  as  far  as  we  could  judge  by  the 
light  of  the  stars,  I  threw  out  the  grapple,  which  was  made 
fast  to  the  headline,  and  found  it  held  very  well. 

This  being  done,  we  ate  a  second  supper  of  turtle  and 
milk  ;  after  which  I  made  up  as  comfortable  a  bed  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  as  was  to  be  had  with  no  better  material 
than  the  lug-sail,  and  induced  Lady  Biddy  to  lie  down  and 
get  some  sleep,  promising  to  wake  her  as  soon  as  the  day 
broke,  and  get  a  few  hours'  sleep  myself  whilst  she  kept 
watch. 

There  was  just  enough  light  for  me  to  descry  her  pale 
face  at  the  further  end  of  the  boat  as  she  lay  on  the  rude 
bed.  I  sat  watching  her,  maybe  two  hours,  thinking  by 
her  stillness  she  had  fallen  asleep  ;  but  of  a  sudden,  with- 
out moving,  she  says  : 

"  Benet,  do  you  think  we  could  get  there  in  a  week  ? " 

I  answered — though  with  a  feeling  that  I  did  wrong  to 
encourage  a  false  hope — I  answered,  I  say,  that  I  thought 
we  might  do  so. 

"  If  we  have  good  luck,"  she  adds. 

"  Good  luck  we  must  have,  for  the  worst  is  past,"  says  I. 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,"  says  she.     "  Good-night." 

And  in  this  belief  she  fell  asleep,  perhaps  to  dream  her 
hopes  were  realized. 

Alas  !  she  was  soon  to  be  roused  from  that  dream — soon 
to  know  that  the  worst  was  not  past. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

WE  ARE   ENCOMPASSED  WITH  BLACKAMOORS,  TO  OUR  GREAT 
PERIL. 

IT  was  drawing  near  morning,  and  a  breeze  had  sprung 
up,  ruffling  the  waters,  so  that  I  had  to  keep  the  boat 
away  from  the  rock  with  my  oar,  lest  the  bumping  and 
grating  of   its  side  should  disturb  Lady  Biddy's  repose, 


168  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

which  I  would  not  have  had  for  the  world,  and  the  tide 
being  again  at  the  ebb,  my  face  was  turned  towards  the 
opening  in  the  rocks  by  which,  as  I  say,  we  entered  this 
little  harbor,  when  I  first  heard  the  sound  of  a  voice. 

It  seemed  to  my  ear  like  a  cry  of  triumph  or  discovery, 
and  for  the  moment  I  believed  that  our  pursuers  had  spied 
us  from  the  cliff  above ;  but  on  looking  up  where  the 
black  rock  cut  off  the  view  of  the  starry  sky  I  could  see 
nothing  but  its  jagged  edge  ;  moreover,  I  was  convinced 
that  no  one  from  that  height  could  spy  us  in  this  dark 
nook,  for  the  light  of  the  stars  was  only  sufficient  to  show 
Lady  Biddy's  white  face  vaguely  to  me,  and  that  only  dis- 
tant a  few  feet. 

I  looked  around  me,  but  naught  was  there  but  the  dark 
rocks  and  the  gray  sea  spread  out  beyond  the  outlet. 
Then  I  concluded  this  cry  came  from  some  owl  or  night- 
gull.  Nevertheless,  I  kept  very  watchful,  with  eyes  wide 
open,  and  would  not  suffer  my  thoughts  to  return  to  that 
sweet  melancholy  which  the  contemplation  of  Lady  Biddy's 
face  had  provoked. 

Presently  I  was  seized  with  fresh  alarm,  as  I  perceived 
that  one  of  the  rocks  that  rose  from  the  sea  at  the  mouth 
of  the  cove  glowed  with  a  strange  light,  which  could  by  no 
reasoning  be  explained,  and  the  ripples  of  the  sea  were  lit 
up  in  like  manner.  Every  moment  this  glow  grew  stronger, 
yet  very  slowly  as  it  seemed  to  me  by  reason  of  my  great 
anxiety. 

At  length,  this  light  growing  so  strong  that  I  knew  some- 
thing must  quickly  come  of  it,  I  rose  in  the  boat,  grasp- 
ing my  oar  in  readiness,  yet  knowing  not  what  in  the  world 
to  expect. 

Just  as  I  got  to  my  feet  a  great  blazing  fire  shot  into 
sight,  so  that  my  two  eyes  were  so  dazzled  I  could  see 
naught  else  for  a  moment.  However,  as  this  confusion  of 
my  sight  subsided,  I  perceived  that  the  light  came  from  a 
brazier  or  beacon  basket  of  flaming  wood  fixed  to  the  prow 
of  a  canoe,  and  behind  it  stood  a  savage  as  stark  as  he  was 
born,  with  a  long  spear  in  his  hand,  while  another  savage 
behind  him  sat  with  his  knees  up  to  his  chin,  paddling  with 
a  single  oar. 

While  I  was  wondering  what  this  could  mean,  the  fellow 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          16$ 

behind  the  beacon  plunges  his  spear  into  the  sea,  and  brings 
out  a  great  silvery  fish  writhing  on  the  barb. 

I  was  overjoyed  to  find  that  these  were  no  enemies,  but 
only  two  simple  naturals  fishing  in  the  manner  of  their 
country  ;  and  I  resolved  not  to  meddle  with  them  in  any 
way  if  I  could  help  it.  Turning  to  Lady  Biddy,  who  had 
been  awaked  by  the  light,  and  was  rising  hastily  to  her 
feet,  I  motioned  her  to  sit  down,  fearing  her  light  gown 
might  reflect  the  light,  and  be  seen  by  the  savages. 

He  with  the  paddle  was  heading  the  canoe  across  the 
mouth  of  the  cove,  when  the  other,  having  taken  the  fish 
from  his  spear,  muttered  a  word  or  two,  whereupon  the 
first,  with  a  deft  stroke  of  his  oar,  turns  the  boat  about, 
and  so  bears  down  upon  the  very  place  where  we  lay. 

Now  what  to  do  I  knew  not ;  for,  God  knows,  I  wished 
these  men  no  harm,  and  yet  could  I  not  risk  to  be  treated 
like  a  fish  by  the  fellow  with  the  spear.  Following  the 
irregularities  of  the  rocks  the  canoe  came  on,  till  shoot- 
ing out  in  front  of  that  rock  behind  which  our  boat  lay,  did 
the  beacon  blaze  not  two  yards  from  my  face.  There  was 
no  time  for  further  consideration,  so,  lifting  my  oar,  I  gave 
as  loud  a  whoop  as  I  could,  at  the  same  time  swinging  my 
oar  with  such  force  down  on  the  brazier  as  every  spark  of 
fire  was  scattered  out  of  it. 

With  a  most  heathenish  howl  of  terror  the  two  Indians 
leaped  into  the  sea  and  got  away  without  so  much  as  show- 
ing their  heads  above  water  till  they  were  clear  of  the  cove, 
which,  doubtless,  they  believed  to  be  haunted  by  some  devil 
or  sea-monster. 

At  first  I  was  disposed  to  make  merry  over  this  adventure, 
but  after  a  bit  I  reflected  that  these  fellows,  coming  from 
some  adjacent  village  or  town,  would  certainly  carry  the 
news  to  their  neighbors,  and  return  at  daybreak  in  force  to 
find  out  what  manner  of  thing  it  was  that  had  served  them 
this  trick,  and  what  had  become  of  their  canoe.  And  as  it 
was  more  than  likely  that,  finding  we  were  not  the  terrible 
creature  their  fears  had  figured,  they  would  bear  us  no 
good-will,  but  rather  seek  to  revenge  themselves  in  cruel 
sort,  I  resolved  that  as  soon  as  it  grew  light  enough  to  see 
my  way  through  the  rocks,  which  were  rendered  now  more 
dangerous  by  the  freshening  of  the  breeze  and  a  chopping 


1 70          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

sea,  we  would  go  forward  on  our  journey  as  speedily  as  we 
might.  In  the  mean  while  I  prepared  myself  for  a  good  spell 
of  work  by  making  a  hearty  meal,  Lady  Biddy  also  eating  a 
little  to  keep  me  in  countenance,  though  she  had  not  yet 
come  to  her  appetite. 

As  soon,  then,  as  the  darkness  began  to  lift,  I  unhitched 
the  grapple  and  shoved  out  towards  the  open,  yet  not  with- 
out foreboding,  for  I  fancied  I  saw  certain  moving  patches 
upon  the  water  across  the  mouth  of  the  cove,  as  if  the 
savages  were  already  abroad.  Nor  was  I  wrong  in  this 
conjecture,  for  scarcely  had  I  pulled  from  the  shadow  of 
the  rock  into  the  gray  light  than  they  set  up  a  terrible 
shout,  and  let  fly  a  shower  of  arrows,  whereof  one  went 
clean  through  the  sleeve  of  my  coat,  but  without  scathing 
my  arm,  thanks  be  to  God. 

I  begged  Lady  Biddy,  for  the  love  •  of  Heaven,  to  lie 
down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  at  the  same  time  that  I 
pushed  back  into  the  haven  from  which  we  had  ventured, 
for  here  were  we  safe  from  arrows,  and  if  the  Indians  had 
the  stomach  to  come  to  close  quarters  I  counted  I  could 
give  a  very  good  account  of  myself  with  my  sword.  But 
as  to  jeopardizing  my  dear  lady's  life  by  running  through 
the  flight  of  their  arrows,  that  would  I  not  do,  though  they 
kept  us  prisoner  a  whole  day. 

So  here,  having  fastened  the  boat,  I  waited  with  my 
sword  drawn,  feeling  pretty  safe,  for,  thanks  to  the  figure 
of  the  rocks,  no  canoe  could  enter  the  cove  to  shoot  us 
down  at  a  distance  without  passing  so  close  that  I  might 
lay  on  them  with  my  sword.  This  daunted  them  exceed- 
ingly, and  though  we  could  hear  them  hallooing  and  shout- 
ing close  at  hand,  not  one  ventured  to  push  his  canoe 
beyond  the  cleft  where  we  lay  snug. 

Lady  Biddy  put  a  bold  face  on  this  business  ;  yet  as  the 
sun  rose,  and  the  whooping  and  hallooing  increased,  show- 
ing that  our  enemies  were  gathering  in  greater  numbers, 
her  eyes  betrayed  uneasiness.  Indeed,  I  myself  did  by  no 
means  feel  so  sure  of  our  safety  as  I  pretended.  If  one 
canoe  contrived  to  get  past  me  into  the  inner  part  of  the 
cove,  then  might  the  savages  in  it  shoot  us  down  at  their 
ease.  And  though  hitherto  none  had  dared  to  slip  by,  I 
doubted  but  presently,  by  egging  each  other  on  with  their 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BtDDY  FANE.  1?I 

taunts  and  cries,  one  would  pluck  up  courage  to  make  the 
attempt ;  then  all  would  depend  upon  my  address,  for  if 
but  one  of  those  wicked,  cruel  heathens  got  by  alive  with 
his  bow  and  arrows,  as  I  say,  we  might  measure  the  length 
of  our  existence  by  minutes. 

Nothing  is  so  wearisome  and  fatiguing  as  to  await  the 
onslaught  of  a  hidden  foe.  The  nerves  and  muscles  must 
be  kept  braced  up,  the  mind  must  never  relax  its  energy, 
and  one's  very  breath  comes  with  painful  labor.  Maybe 
those  savages  were  wise  enough  to  know  this,  for  though 
they  never  ceased  to  make  themselves  heard,  yet  for  hours 
they  made  no  endeavor  to  do  more.  But  at  length,  about 
eight  o'clock,  as  I  judge,  my  ear  caught  the  dash  of  oars  in 
the  water  above  the  din  of  voices,  and  the  next  moment  the 
prow  of  a  canoe  shot  into  sight.  And  now,  first  of  all,  I 
flings  one  of  my  oars  out  so  that  it  caught  against  a  rock  op- 
posite, and  another  on  the  hither  side,  barring  the  passage, 
and  the  result  of  this  was  that,  as  the  canoe  shot  forward, 
the  oar  catches  the  first  natural  in  the  loins  and  pitches  him 
forward  upon  the  next,  and  that  one  in  his  turn  upon  the 
third,  to  their  great  discomfiture  ;  still,  the  oarsmen  (who 
squat  at  the  stern  of  the  canoes  in  these  parts)  pushed  for- 
ward, notwithstanding  this  cheek  ;  but  by  this  time  I  had 
snatched  up  my  sword,  and  did  lay  on  with  such  vigor  that 
only  two  of  the  oarsmen  out  of  the  four  escaped  with  their 
lives  by  backing  out  the  way  they  ventured  in.  Of  spear  and 
bow  men  I  believe  I  cut  down  five,  not  to  speak  of  the  two 
oarsmen,  and  this  without  getting  a  scratch  myself,  nor  being 
any  way  the  worse  except  for  a  prodigious  sweat  in  every  part. 

Lady  Biddy  had  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  when  I 
took  up  the  sword,  for  her  delicate  spirit  could  not  abide 
the  sight  of  bloodshed  ;  and  when  it  was  all  over  she  still 
hid  her  eyes,  so  that  I  was  enabled  to  rinse  my  hand  over 
the  side  of  the  boat  unseen,  and  cleanse  it  from  the  blood 
that  trickled  down  the  blade  and  splashed  beyond  the  cross 
in  this  fight.  Also  I  wiped  my  sword  clean,  but  I  perceived 
pretty  clearly  I  should  never  again  be  able  to  use  that  blade 
for  cutting  up  tortuga  nor  any  other  manner  of  meat  that 
my  lady  was  to  eat. 

This  business  was  hardly  concluded  when  Lady  Biddy 
asks  timorously  if  it  is  all  over. 


1 72  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BWDY  FAXE. 

"  Yes,"  says  I,  "  and  I  reckon  the  blackamoors  have  had 
enough  for  this  day." 

And  so  it  seemed,  for  after  the  howling  which  was  set  up 
upon  the  defeat  of  the  canoe,  there  was  considerably  less 
whooping  than  before,  so  that  we  did  begin  to  comfort  our- 
selves by  thinking  they  had  given  up  the  attempt  for  a  bad 
job,  and  would  soon  leave. us  in  peace.  "But  here  were  we 
grievously  out  of  our  reckoning,  as  we  soon  had  occasion 
to  know,  for  as  I  was  sitting  myself  on  a  thwart  to  ease  my 
legs  a  bit,  an  arrow  flies  down  betwixt  my  knees,  and  sticks 
bolt  upright  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

Now  this  I  did  think  to  make  light  of  as  a  curious  acci- 
dent, deeming  that  a  savage  had  fired  up  in  the  air  and  that 
his  arrow  had  fallen  thus  nigh  me  by  chance ;  but  the  next 
minute  a  second  arrow  falls  but  a  foot  away  from  the  first, 
and  then  a  third  and  fourth  plump  down  in  the  water  along- 
side the  boat  with  a  noise  like  great  hailstones.  Then  cast- 
ing my  eyes  up  I  perceived  a  row  of  these  red  savages 
along  the  edge  of  the  cliff  above.  Not  a  minute  did  I  lose, 
but  snatching  up  the  lug-sail  I  cast  one  side  over  the  rocks 
beside  us  in  such  a  manner  as  it  formed  a  kind  of  roof  over 
Lady  Biddy's  head  ;  and  though  more  than  one  arrow  stuck 
in  the  canvas  while  this  was  a-doing,  yet  got  I  never  so 
much  as  a  graze,  which  shows  how  Providence  does  favor 
Christians,  to  the  mortification  of  the  heathen. 

This  being  done  I  crept  under  the  shelter  beside  Lady 
Biddy  ;  yet  was  I  careful  to  see  that  my  oar  still  barred  the 
passage  well,  and  that  my  sword  was  ready  to  my  hand  in 
case  of  need. 

The  arrows  came  now  thicker  than  ever  ;  but  though 
some  came  through  the  sail,  yet  was  their  force  so  broken 
that  they  could  do  us  no  mischief. 

Seeing  this,  the  savages  gave  over  presently.  Yet  by  the 
clatter  they  made  with  their  kind  of  conversation  above,  I 
was  fearful  that  they  were  only  seeking  to  do  us  some  fresh 
injury ;  nor  did  they  keep  us  waiting  long  to  perceive  the 
turn  their  ingenuity  had  taken. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          1 73 
CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

WE    ARE    LIKE    TO   BE   CRUSHED    UNDER   A    HUGE   ROCK. 

WE  were,  I  say,  not  long  in  ignorance  of  their  intent. 
First  of  all  there  came  some  loose  earth  dropping  in 
the  water,  and  after  that  some  little  stones  rattled 
down  the  side  of  the  cliff,  and  then  a  bigger  rock  leaped 
down  beside  our  boat,  splashing  the  water  in  our  faces. 
Upon  my  clapping  my  eye  to  one  of  the  holes  in  the  sail 
made  by  an  arrow,  I  spied  the  rabble  of  savages  above 
pushing  at  a  huge  rock  and  prising  it  with  sticks  and  the 
poles  of  their  spears.  This  rock  was  of  a  prodigious 
size,  weighing,  as  I  judged,  many  tons,  and  was  lodged 
on  a  shelf  of  the  cliff  right  over  our  heads.  Every  time 
they  heaved  together  at  this,  some  corner  broke  off  and 
bounded  down  into  the  sea  ;  and  the  main  body,  losing 
each  time  something  of  its  support,  yielded  more  and 
more,  so  that  it  swayed  to  and  fro  most  terrible  to  behold. 

Seeing  this,  my  courage  left  me  altogether  ;  for  what 
availed  my  arm  and  manhood  against  such  an  engine  as 
this  ?  My  tell-tale  face  and  quaking  limbs  struck  terror 
into  Lady  Biddy's  heart,  so  that  she  had  no  power  to  raise 
her  voice  above  a  whisper. 

"  What  is  it — what  is  it,  Benet  ? "  she  asks,  laying  her 
hand  on  my  arm. 

And  all  I  could  answer  was,  "  Lord  help  us ! "  as  I 
dropped  on  my  knees. 

At  this  instant  there  sounded  above  a  sharp  snap,  and  this 
was  followed  by  a  terrific  noise  of  rocks  grating  together,  a 
huge  shout  from  the  savages,  then  a  deafening  clap  like  the 
first  discharge  of  a  peal  of  thunder,  and  with  that  there  fell 
on  us  a  terrible  darkness,  as  if  a  cloud  had  suddenly  hid- 
den up  the  sun. 

Then  I  counted  our  last  moment  had  come,  and  with  one 
last  thought  of  my  dear  lady,  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  threw 
up  my  arms  above  her  head,  which  was  the  mad  folly  of  de- 
spair and  no  more,  for  my  arms,  had  they  been  of  iron  or 
brass,  must  have  bent  and  broken  like  reeds  under  the  shock 
of  such  a  vast  mass. 

As  my  hands  touched  the  canvas  it  was  torn  down  by  a 


174  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

stone  as  big  as  a  firkin,  which,  pitching  into  the  sea,  did 
raise  a  wave  that  half-filled  the  boat.  Yet  was  I  amazed 
that  we  yet  lived,  and  perplexed  to  know  what  had  become 
of  the  great  rock,  till,  casting  my  eye  up,  I  perceived  it  had 
stuck  between  the  two  walls  of  our  fissure  like  a  wedge,  and 
so  hung  suspended  over  us.  But  it  was  fearful  to  observe, 
through  the  cloud  of  dust  that  filled  the  cove,  how  this 
monstrous  block  did  now  and  then  break  from  its  hold,  with 
a  noise  like  a  great  gun  firing,  as  some  portion  of  its  edge 
splintered  off,  flying  in  fragments  to  the  right  and  left,  the 
great  mass  threatening  with  each  rupture  to  give  way  and 
bury  us  beneath  it  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Indeed,  it  was 
in  my  heart  to  wish  it  would  descend  at  one  sweep  rather 
than  come  down  little  by  little  to  our  destruction,  for  the 
suspense  and  terror  of  watching  our  coming  doom  were 
most  horrible  and  fearful. 

Those  above,  seeing  that  it  wanted  but  a  little  to  dislodge 
it  from  its  position,  now  began  to  hurl  big  stones  upon  it, 
as  we  could  plainly  tell  by  the  sound  which  echoed  from  it, 
as  the  noise  of  a  galloping  horse  upon  a  bridge  strikes  the 
ear  of  one  below.  And  at  each  blow  this  rock  crumbled 
and  shattered  at  its  edge,  showering  down  rubble  all  around 
us.  Lady  Biddy  clung  trembling  to  my  arm,  and  though 
it  was  frightful  to  a  degree  to  stand  there,  helpless,  watch- 
ing the  approach  of  death,  yet  could  we  not  turn  our  eyes 
from  it,  nor  think  of  aught  else.  Otherwise,  had  I  made  a 
bold  stroke  to  escape  by  shoving  out  of  the  cleft  into  the 
open  and  running  the  gauntlet,  maugre  the  arrows  of  the 
savages  waiting  for  us  without  ;  but,  indeed,  we  were  par- 
alyzed with  fear,  and  I  not  less  than  Lady  Biddy. 

Of  a  sudden  we  heard  the  report  of  a  musket,  and  in- 
stantly the  babel  of  savage  shouting  and  whooping  was 
stilled  as  if  by  enchantment ;  nor  were  any  more  stones 
hurled  down  on  the  rock  above  us. 

For  a  little  space  we  stood  feeble  and  trembling,  as  if 
spent  with  violent  exertion  ;  but  the  silence  continuing, 
and  the  rock  above  ceasing  to  labor,  I  plucked  up  heart, 
and  bethought  me  to  get  out  of  that  cove,  no  matter  what 
befell  us  afterwards.  So  in  a  twinkling  I  loosed  the  boat, 
and,  shoving  out  of  the  cleft,  I  turned  about  and  drew 
through  the  narrow  opening  and  out  of  the  shadow  of  that 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          175 

accursed  rock.  And  being  now  in  the  open  we  saw  nothing 
of  the  Indians,  but  only  their  canoes  lying  up  on  the  beach 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  east ;  neither  were  any  of 
those  heathens  to  be  seen  on  the  top  of  the  cliff  whence 
the  great  rock  had  been  hurled  down.  This  would  have 
struck  us  with  wonder  and  excited  our  curiosity  at  any 
other  time,  but  just  then  we  had  no  room  in  our  breasts  to 
harbor  any  feeling  but  that  of  profound  and  devout  grati- 
tude for  our  marvelous  preservation.  Looking  at  me 
very  tenderly,  Lady  Biddy  clasped  her  hands  in  her  lap 
and  bowed  her  head,  while  I,  resting  my  arms  on  the  oars, 
drew  a  deep  breath  which  my  lungs  did  seem  sorely  to 
need,  for,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  I  had  not  drawn  breath 
freely  for  many  hours. 

While  we  sat  thus,  the  boat  gently  tossing  on  the  waves, 
I  heard  a  voice  hailing  us,  and  turning  about  I  spied  a 
couple  of  men,  decently  clothed  and  armed  with  muskets 
like  good  Christians,  standing  amidst  the  rocks  to  the  west 
of  the  cove.  Seeing  they  were  perceived,  they  held  up 
their  hands  and  beckoned  us  to  draw  nigh. 

"  It  is  they  who  have  saved  us  from  the  savages,"  cries 
Lady  Biddy  with  joy  ;  "  they  are  friends." 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,"  says  I,  still  resting  on  my 
oars  and  regarding  them.  "  To  my  mind  they  look  very 
like  Spaniards." 

"  And  if  they  are,  may  we  not  trust  them,  Benet  ? "  says 
she,  with  some  concern. 

"  I  am  of  two  minds  about  it,"  says  I ;  "  and  for  my 
own  part  I  should  feel  just  as  content  to  pull  out  of 
reach  of  their  muskets  as  to  get  within  reach  of  their 
swords." 

"  Nay,  you  have  a  sword  also,  Benet,  and  are  a  match 
for  two  such  little  fellows  as  they." 

"  There  are  but  two  as  we  can  see,  that's  certain,"  says 
I ;  "  but  we  know  not  how  many  may  lurk  within  call. 
Englishmen  they  are  not,  I  will  vow." 

"  Nor  pirates,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  as  much  as  to  tell  me 
that  all  Englishmen  are  not  angels. 

"  No,"  says  I  ;  "  but  they  may  be  no  better  than  pirates. 
In  a  word,  I  do  fear  they  may  turn  out  to  be  friends  of 
Rodrigues  from  that  town  he  spoke  of." 


176  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  As  you  will,  Benet,"  says  she  ;  "  but,"  she  adds,  with  a 
sigh,  "they  look  very  civil,  pretty  little  fellows." 

I  hesitated  still;  for  though  I  was  dearly  tempted  to 
yield  to  Lady  Biddy's  evident  desire,  yet  I  knew  that  I  was 
answerable  for  her  life  and  welfare. 

The  men  hailed  us  again,  and  one. turned  his  musket 
upside  down,  while  the  other  pulls  out  his  white  handker- 
chief and  waves  it  in  sign  of  peace. 

"  I  do  think  they  are  Italian,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  with 
hope  lighting  up  her  eyes  again. 

That  decided  me,  and  so,  forgetting  her  welfare,  I  pulled 
towards  the  rocks  to  prevent  those  sweet  eyes  filling  with 
tears,  which  was  a  weak  part  to  be  played  by  a  strong  man, 
and  nothing  to  my  credit. 

Coming  to  the  rocks,  yet  standing  off  a  little  from  the 
shore,  we  began  a  parley ;  but,  Lord  !  we  might  have  held 
our  peace,  for  I  could  speak  but  English  with  a  smattering 
of  Dutch.  They  tried  one  or  two  tongues  that  were  with- 
out meaning  to  our  ears,  and  Lady  Biddy  got  on  no  better 
with  speaking  French  and  Italian.  However,  this  jargon 
did  so  tickle  us  that  we  could  not  help  but  laugh,  which 
put  us  in  good  humor  one  with  another  ;  so,  to  cut  a  long 
story  short,  taking  their  gestures  to  mean  that  they  would 
die  rather  than  injure  a  hair  of  our  heads,  and  that  they 
sought  only  to  lead  us  to  where  we  might  get  good  treat- 
ment and  run  no  risk  of  being  further  molested  by  savages, 
we  resolved  to  put  ourselves  in  their  hands ;  so,  running 
the  boat  ashore  in  a  convenient  part,  we  landed,  and  after 
I  had  buckled  on  my  sword  we  signed  to  our  friends  to 
lead  the  way. 

Near  to  that  spot  was  a  path  cut  in  the  cliff,  and  coming 
to  the  top  we  found  ourselves  in  a  fine  level  country,  stretch- 
ing away  to  the  hills  behind  which  rose  the  mountains. 
This  champaign  was  cultivated  with  a  kind  of  corn  and 
divers  other  crops  of  strange  plants,  which  comforted  us 
with  the  hope  of  getting  Christian  entertainment.  A  fairly 
good  path  lay  between  the  fields  and  the  edge  of  the  cliff, 
and  this  we  followed  in  an  easterly  direction,  passing  that 
part  where  the  barbarians  had  thrust  down  the  rock  upon 
us,  as  also  a  little  village  of  huts  hard  by  where  the  canoes 
were  stranded.  Pointing  down  at  these  huts  our  guides  gave 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          I? 7 

us  to  understand  in  dumb  show  that  the  savages  were  slaves, 
and  would  surely  be  punished  for  their  attempt  upon  our 
lives  ;  indeed,  on  our  way  we  saw  above  a  score  of  armed 
men  amidst  the  corn  following  the  furrows,  to  see  if  any  of 
those  wretches  lay  hid  there,  and  heard  many  a  yell  as 
they  were  dragged  to  light  and  carried  off  to  be  whipped. 

These  cries  did  pierce  Lady  Biddy's  tender  and  forgiv- 
ing heart,  and  she  urged  many  good  reasons  for  their  ex- 
cuse :  as  that  we  must  not  expect  mercy  from  those  whom 
we  treat  without  pity  ;  that  they  must  look  upon  all  white 
people  as  their  enemies  and  oppressors,  since,  but  for  us, 
they  would  still  be  free  and  happy  in  their  native  woods  ; 
that  as  it  is  our  instinct  to  destroy  the  reptile  or  brute  that 
would  do  us  harm,  so  was  it  natural  to  them  for  their  own 
preservation  to  take  the  lives  of  such  as  might  one  day  be- 
come their  tyrants,  and  sunder  the  wife  from  her  husband, 
the  child  from  its  parent,  for  their  own  mercenary  ends, 
etc.,  which  gentle  arguments  did  greatly  soften  that  evil 
spirit  of  vengeance  that  stirred  within  me. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

IN   WHICH    PROVIDENCE,  NOT  TO   BE  ALWAYS   SCOURGING  OF 
US,  PROVIDES  US  WITH  GOOD  ENTERTAINMENT. 

AFTER  marching  best  part  of  an  hour  we  came  to  a 
storehouse  and  farm,  where  our  guide  procured  mules 
(to  Lady  Biddy's  great  relief  and  my  contentment),  and 
with  this  help  we  came  about  eleven  o'clock  to  a  small  town, 
build  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  at  the  mouth  of  a  fair  river,  and 
covered  by  a  stout  fortress  ;  and  here  were  we  conducted  at 
once  to  the  house  of  the  governor,  which  stood  in  the  midst 
of  a  fine  garden,  as  pretty  a  seat  as  one  could  hope  to  see 
in  such  an  outlandish  part.  After  waiting  in  the  courtyard, 
where  we  dismounted,  some  little  while,  the  servant  who  had 
carried  a  message  from  our  two  friends  (as  I  may  call  those 
fellows  to  whom  we  owed  our  lives)  came  back,  and  led  us 
through  a  gateway  into  the  midst  of  the  garden,  where  on 
a  fair  green  lawn,  under  the  shade  of  a  striped  sheet  of  silk, 
fastened  with  colored  cords  (very  fine)  to  high  palmettos 


17*          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

at  the  four  corners  of  the  green,  sat  half  a  dozen  gentlemen 
and  a  lady  about  a  table,  on  which  was  spread  a  repast  that 
set  my  mouth  watering.  The  gentlemen  were  all  very  hand- 
somely dressed  in  the  Spanish  mode,  and  the  lady  (who  was 
the  governor's  wife)  was  also  very  richly  arrayed  in  a  lace 
farthingale,  but  as  ugly  a  woman  of  fifty  or  thereabouts  as 
ever  I  did  see  ;  and  particularly  insolent,  for  ere  we  had  got 
near  her  by  five  yards  she  held  up  her  hand  to  bid  us  stay  ; 
and,  clapping  a  scent-bottle  to  her  hooky  nose,  put  on  an 
expression  of  loathing  and  disgust,  as  though  we  had  been 
dirty  dogs. 

This  disdain,  however,  was  by  no  means  obvious  in  the 
rest  of  the  company,  who,  taking  but  slight  notice  of  me, 
did  gaze  at  Lady  Biddy  as  though  they  would  stare  her  out 
of  countenance  ;  so  that  I  know  not  if  I  was  better  pleased 
with  their  impudence  than  with  the  old  tabby's  insolence. 

The  governor,  who  was  as  handsome  as  his  wife  was 
ordinary,  with  a  snow-white  beard  and  mustaches,  but  jet 
black  eyebrows  over  his  soft  dark  eyes,  made  a  slight  inclina- 
tion of  his  head  to  Lady  Biddy  (as  much  as  he  dared  in  his 
wife's  presence),  and,  turning  to  our  friends,  spoke  to  them, 
asking  (as  I  guess)  how  we  had  fallen  into  their  hands  : 
whereupon  the  fellows,  with  their  hats  in  their  hands,  very 
humbly  laid  the  whole  matter  before  him,  the  gentlemen 
"listening  with  growing  astonishment,  glancing  from  the 
speakers  to  me,  and  then  to  Lady  Biddy,  while  the  gover- 
nor's wife,  fanning  herself  with  a  tuft  of  marabout,  from  time 
to  time  put  in  a  word  to  our  disadvantage,  as  I  conceived  by 
her  gestures.  When  the  men  had  made  an  end  of  their  his- 
tory, the  governor,  turning  to  me  spoke  a  word  or  two  in 
Portuguese — for  I  learnt  afterwards  that  all  the  company 
were  Portugals — to  which  I  answered  in  English  till  he 
stopped  me  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  when  I  tried  him 
in  low  Dutch  ;  but  he  only  shook  his  head  at  that.  Then 
Lady  Biddy,  in  her  sweet,  clear  voice,  ventured  a  word  or 
two  in  Italian,  as  being  something  like  the  language  he  spoke. 
Upon  which  the  governor,  with  a  very  amiable  smile,  replied 
in  the  same  tongue,  and  my  lady  proceeded  in  tell  our  story. 

And  now  was  I  heartily  glad  I  had  not  made  myself 
understood  ;  for  I  must  have  made  a  sad  bungling  business 
of  it  in  comparison  with  her  performance.  I  knew  not  a 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          *79 

word  of  what  she -said,  yet  could  I  not  sufficiently  admire 
her  noble  calm,  her  easy  self-command,  her  graceful  tone 
and  gestures,  and  fearless  mien. 

I  might  have  pleaded  for  compassion ;  she  did  nothing 
of  the  kind.  She  told  of  the  wrong  we  had  suffered  with  no 
mournful  note,  but  with  a  tone  of  contempt  for  those  who 
were  so  base  as  to  abandon  the  respect  due  to  her.  She 
spoke  in  another  key  of  the  attack  made  by  the  barbarians, 
for  they  were  rather  to  be  pitied  for  a  savage  cruelty  sprung 
from  their  misfortunes  :  she  turned  with  a  gracious  inclina- 
tion of  her  head  to  the  two  men  in  acknowledging  their 
courtesy,  and  then,  facing  the  governor's  wife,  she  seemed 
to  be  demanding  of  her  the  courtesy  of  one  lady  towards 
another  ;  and  in  conclusion,  with  a  deep  curtsey,  thanked 
the  governor  in  advance  for  the  hospitality  which  the  repre- 
sentative of  a  proud  king  would  undoubtedly  extend  to  the 
unfortunate  subjects  of  a  brother-sovereign  thrown  upon  his 
coast. 

I  knew,  I  say,  not  one  word  of  the  tongue  she  spoke  ; 
yet  had  I  been  as  proficient  in  the  language  as  she,  I  could 
not  have  better  understood  that  which  she  was  saying,  and 
this  simply  by  the  consummate  eloquence  of  her  manner. 

Her  speech  ended,  the  governor  rose,  and  before  he  spoke 
placed  his  chair  for  her  use,  standing  erect  until  the  servant 
ran  forward  with  another  chair  for  him  and  one  for  me.  In- 
deed, her  speech  had  a  marvelous  effect  upon  the  whole 
company.  The  governor's  lady  absolutely  smiled  upon  us 
— for  Lady  Biddy  had  not  omitted  to  state  that  she  was 
uoble  by  birth,  and  that  I  was  her  cousin — and  the  gentle- 
men, taking  shame  for  their  impudence,  were  now  less  pre- 
pared to  meet  her  eyes  than  she  theirs.  All  this  did  com- 
fort me  greatly  to  perceive,  and  my  heart  swelled  with  pride 
for  that  I  was  the  companion  of  such  an  excellent  and  beau- 
tiful lady. 

The  governor,  being  seated,  made  a  little  speech  in  an 
amiable  tone,  which  Lady  Biddy  at  once  translated  to  me, 
that  he  might  see  I  was  to  be  her  partner  in  good  fortune 
as  I  had  been  in  ill ;  and  the  gist  of  his  matter,  divested  of 
fine  compliments,  was  that  as  soon  as  he  had  properly  ful- 
filled his  personal  duty  as  a  host,  he  should  take  proper 
means  to  convey  us  to  our  country. 


180          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  Tell  him,"  says  I,  "  that  though  I  shall  be  happy  to  leave 
his  roof  a  debtor,  yet  I  do  fear  we  shall  have  to  cry  quite 
before  I  go." 

Lady  Biddy  looked  perplexed,  but  she  gave  ray  message. 

"  The  governor  wishes  to  know,"  says  she,  when  he  had 
replied,  "  what  you  imply  by  your  message,  and  so  do  I," 
adds  she,  in  the  same  tone. 

"  Ask  him  if  he  knows  a  man  with  pointed  teeth  named 
Rodrigues." 

After  a  little  consideration  among  the  company,  the  gov- 
ernor replied  through  Lady  Biddy  that  he  knew  no  one  with 
pointed  teeth. 

"  Tell  him,"  says  I  again,  "  that  Rodrigues  is  the  pirate 
from  whom  we  escaped  ;  that  he  is  an  excellent  navigator 
as  ever  sailed  the  sea,  and  knows  this  coast  by  heart  ; 
wherefore  I  do  think  by  his  anchoring  half  a  dozen  leagues 
off  to  search  for  water,  instead  of  coming  in  here  for  refresh- 
ments— which  had  been  the  simpler  and  surer  means — that 
he  harbors  some  sinister  design  upon  the  riches  of  this  town." 

The  governor  looked  grave  on  hearing  this,  and  his  lady 
set  to  crossing  herself  and  calling  on  her  saint  for  succor. 
Presently  the  governor  replied. 

"  I  am  to  tell  you,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  "  that  Dom  Sebas- 
tian d'Estovalderos  is  prepared  to  meet  any  foe,  and  fears 
none.  At  the  same  time  he  thanks  you  for  your  hint,  and  I 
think  by  his  manner  the  old  gentleman  will  be  very  glad  of 
a  few  more." 

"  Tell  him,"  says  I,  "  that  I  could  not  presume  to  offer 
advice  to  a  Portugal  and  a  soldier,  with  any  other  flattery 
you  think  proper  ;  but  I  should  feel  more  sure  of  my  own 
skin  if  he  would  send  out  spies  along  the  coast  to  the  west 
to  warn  us  of  the  pirate's  movements." 

Dom  Sebastian  took  this  in  very  good  part,  and  at  once 
gave  orders  to  the  men  who  had  brought  us  in,  and  they 
departing  at  once,  he  eagerly  asked  if  he  could  make  any 
other  arrangement  to  increase  my  sense  of  security. 

I  bade  Lady  Biddy  let  him  know  that  Rodrigues  was  a 
man  of  extreme  subtlety  and  a  crafty  villain,  who,  under- 
standing the  temper  of  the  savages  towards  their  masters, 
might  secretly  stir  them  up  to  rebellion  with  a  view  to  di- 
verting attention  from  his  attack,  and  that  therefore  I 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          181 

should  feel  easier  if  the  naturals  were  for  a  time  deprived  of 
their  bows  and  arrows. 

The  governor  vowed  they  should  all  be  sent  in  irons  up 
the  country  at  the  first  approach  of  Rodrigues,  but  that,  as 
to  their  bows,  it  was  impossible  to  find  where  they  kept  them 
adding  that  to  conceal  these  cherished  arms  they  had  so 
quickly  scattered  at  the  first  musket-shot  of  his  factors. 
Further,  he  wished  to  know  what  else  he  could  do  for  me. 

"  Tell  him,"  says  I,  getting  weary  of  this  business,  "  that 
I  will  let  him  know  while  I  am  eating  if  any  other  precau- 
tion occurs  to  my  mind  ;  but  that,  before  anything  else,  I 
would  be  glad  to  have  a  basin  of  water  and  a  clean  shirt." 

I  know  not  how  Lady  Biddy  suggested  this,  but  certain 
it  is  that,  after  a  few  more  civilities  were  exchanged  a  lack- 
ey led  me  off  to  one  part  of  the  house,  while  Mistress 
Sebastian  herself,  carried  Lady  Biddy  to  another.  And 
here  was  I  waited  on  hand  and  foot,  my  old  suit  stripped 
off,  and  a  very  handsome  dress  laid  out  for  me,  which  the 
governor  begged  I  would  accept  until  his  tailor  could  make 
me  a  better  ;  and  while  one  fellow  was  tying  my  garters 
and  buckling  my  shoes,  another  was  pointing  my  beard  and 
cropping  my  head  in  the  Spanish  fashion.  In  fine,  betwixt 
one  and  the  other,  I  was  so  changed  that  when  I  came  to 
look  in  the  glass  I  did  not  know  myself  for  Benet  Pengilly. 
But  I  was  not  displeased  with  my  appearance  ;  nay,  on  the 
contrary — to  tell  the  truth — I  was  as  vain  of  myself  as 
any  coxcomb,  and  if  I  had  possessed  it,  I  would  freely  have 
given  a  piece  to  the  fellow  who  trimmed  my  head,  and 
another  to  him  who  had  tied  my  garters,  etc.  And  now  I 
went  out  into  the  garden  with  a  strut  and  a  flourish,  as 
though  this  bravery  was  naught  to  me,  though  my  heart 
was  all  of  a  flutter  to  know  how  Lady  Biddy  would  take  my 
looks. 

She  had  not  yet  descended  when  I  came  to  the  company, 
who  were  all  laying  their  heads  together  very  close  in  dis- 
cussion, standing  in  a  knot  some  way  from  the  table,  which 
was  laid  out  with  a  very  elegant  repast. 

Seeing  me  approach,  the  gentlemen  broke  off  their  con- 
versation, and  Dom  Sebastian  made  a  sign  that  I  should  sit 
down  to  table,  but  this  I  would  not  do  in  the  absence  of 
Lady  Biddy,  albeit  I  was  very  sharp-set.  Presently  she 


lS»          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

came  from  the  house  with  the  governor's  lady.  I  made 
them  a  prodigious  fine  bow,  and  they  curtsied  to  me  ;  and 
was  flattered  to  the  top  of  my  bent  to  perceive  how  my  lady 
did  regard  me  from  the  corner  of  her  eye  with  pleasure  and 
approval. 

She  also  had  changed  her  torn  frock  for  a  gown  of  black 
silk,  and  with  this  she  wore  a  kerchief  of  lace  thrown  loosely 
over  her  head,  which,  like  a  dark  setting  to  a  fair  pearl,  did 
add  to  the  lustre  of  her  delicate  skin  and  sparkling  eyes— if 
it  be  possible  to  increase  the  beauty  of  that  which  in  itself 
is  perfect ;  in  a  word,  she  did  ravish  the  eye. 

And  if  those  Portugals  had  before  admired  her,  dishev- 
eled and  ill-arrayed,  there  is  no  word  to  express  their  regard 
now.  A  little  murmur  arose  amongst  them  as  she  grace- 
fully took  her  seat  at  the  table  ;  and  while  one  betook  him- 
self to  get  a  posey  for  her  bosom,  and  another  set  a  cushion 
for  her  feet,  the  rest  clustered  around  her  like  bees  about  a 
honey-bloom,  offering  her  delicacies  from  the  store  set  be- 
fore us. 

Lady  Biddy  was  pleased  to  receive  this  homage,  and, 
despite  the  accursed  jealousy  of  my  nature,  I  bore  them  no 
ill-will  for  their  attentions  to  her,  feeling  that  I  was  as  good 
as  any  grandee  amongst  them,  and  better  in  my  dear  Lady 
Biddy's  esteem. 

After  we  had  eaten  to  our  heart's  content,  the  governor 
very  politely  offered  me  some  tobacco,  which  there  they  do 
not  use  in  pipes,  but  rolled  up  in  sticks  about  the  bigness 
of  a  farthing  candle,  which  tobacco  is  very  excellent  smok- 
ing indeed  ;  and  so,  being  risen,  the  governor  gave  his 
arm  to  Lady  Biddy,  and  we  strolled  to  that  part  of  the 
grounds  which  commanded  a  wide  view  of  the  town,  the 
river,  and  the  sea  beyond. 

At  that  moment  a  runner  came  in,  sweating  with  haste, 
to  tell  that  a  ship  was  in  sight  ;  but  we  needed  not  his  warn- 
ing, for  I  had  already  spied  in  the  distance  a  sail  which  I 
knew  at  a  glance  for  the  Black  Death. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE,          183 
CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A  SPEEDY  END  IS   BROUGHT  TO  OUR  CIVIL  ENTERTAINMENT. 

LADY  BIDDY  was  greatly  cast  down  when  she  caught 
sight  of  the  black  ship,  as  well  she  might  be,  for  it 
seemed  as  if  there  were  to  be  no  more  rest  for  her, 
body  or  mind.  After  standing  in  sad  silence  for  a  minute 
or  two,  she  says  to  me: 

"  Benet,  you  must  never  yield  to  me  again  ;  if  I  had  not 
persuaded  you  from  your  purpose,  we  should  have  escaped 
this  present  peril." 

"  Here  is  nothing,"  says  I,  "  but  what  confirms  my  good 
opinion  of  your  judgment." 

"  Nay,"  says  she,  "  did  you  not  tell  Dom  Sebastian  that 
Rodrigues  would  come  here  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure,  I  don't  want  Rodrigues  to  catch  Dom 
Sebastian  unprepared  ;  but  as  for  our  peril,  I  don't  value  it 
a  snap  of  my  fingers." 

Hearing  the  name  of  Rodrigues  coupled  with  his  own, 
the  governor,  who  had  been  eyeing  us  pretty  shrewdly, 
stepped  forward,  and  after  apologizing  for  the  intrusion, 
begged  Lady  Biddy  to  serve  as  our  interpreter,  and  ask  me 
whether  I  felt  any  anxiety  with  regard  to  my  position ; 
whereupon  the  following  dialogue  ensued: 

I  :  "  We  may  all  go  to  bed  and  sleep  comfortably  to- 
night. But  'twill  not  do  to  lie  abed  to-morrow  morning." 

He  :  "  You  do  not  apprehend  any  immediate  attack  from 
the  pirate  ?  " 

I :  "  No  ;  for  the  reason  that  he  is  not  in  a  position  to 
offer  it.  You  see  how  he  has  been  making  for  the  shore, 
and  how  now  he  is  standing  out ;  that  shows  that  the  wind  is 
all  against  him,  but  it  also  proves  his  design  to  come  hither." 

He  :  "  Why  ?  " 

I :  "  Because  the  ship's  company  are  famished,  and  would 
never  consent  to  work  the  ship  at  such  a  snail's  pace  unless 
Rodrigues  could  make  them  believe  there  was  a  town  here 
to  furnish  them  with  all  they  need.  They  are  not  making 
half  a  league  an  hour.  Unless  the  wind  shifts  to  their  ad- 
vantage— and  I  see  no  likelihood  of  that — they  will  not  be 
here  ere  midday  to-morrow." 


184          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

He  :  "  What,  in  your  opinion,  will  Rodrigues  do  then  ?" 

I :  "  He  will  do  his  best  to  hoodwink  and  deceive  you." 

He  (bending  his  brows)  :  "  And  when  he  finds  that  Dom 
Sebastian  d'Estovalderos  is  not  to  be  hoodwinked?" 

I :  "  Then  he  will  seek  to  get  what  he  wants  by  force. 
Neither  he  nor  his  men  will  go  away  unsatisfied." 

"  He  :  "  He  may  be  satisfied  to  go  away  with  what  he 
does  not  want.  My  guns  are  not  toys." 

I :  "  I  hope  with  all  my  heart  he  may  under-rate  them  to 
his  cost.  It  is  more  likely,  however,  that  he  will  stand  well 
out  of  their  reach.  He  is  hardy,  but  he  is  prudent.  Be 
assured  he  would  rather  murder  us  all  in  our  beds  than 
venture  an  open  encounter." 

At  this,  Mistress  Sebastian,  who  also  understood  the 
Italian  a  little,  set  up  a  shrill  scream,  and,  after  feeling 
about  her  person  in  great  concern,  called  a  servant  who 
waited  hard  by,  and  bade  him  run  at  once  to  the  house  for 
her  beads.  The  governor  himself  was  too  concerned  to 
take  much  heed  of  his  lady's  agitation,  though  his  pride 
kept  him  in  good  countenance. 

He  :  "  Are  there  any  measures  that  you  think  it  advisable 
to  take  ? " 

I :  "I  would  have  stout  beams  chained  together,  and 
thrown  across  the  river  from  one  side  to  the  other  to  pre- 
vent an  enemy's  boat  slipping  past  the  guns  of  the  fortress  ; 
also  I  should  propose  to  send  your  lady,  and  anything  else 
you  value,  to  some  place  of  security  out  of  the  town  ; 
finally,  I  would  set  up  a  gallows  on  the  top  of  your  citadel 
to  be  seen  by  Rodrigues,  and  at  his  first  approach  let  him 
know  that  you  will  hang  without  mercy  upon  it  him  or  the 
first  of  his  company  that  comes  within  your  reach." 

He  :  "  You  have  nothing  else  to  recommend  ?" 

I :  "  Nothing." 

He  (with  a  penetrating  glance  of  his  quick  eye)  :  "  How 
is  it  you  have  not  thought  of  defending  that  part  of  the 
town  by  which  you  entered,  and  the  part  most  likely  to  be 
attacked  by  an  enemy  who  has  the  discretion  to  perceive 
that  his  boats  and  men  would  be  swept  from  the  water  by 
my  guns  if  he  were  to  venture  an  assault  by  the  river  ? " 

I :  "  Because  that  defence  would  not  be  omitted  by  you 
or  a  less  experienced  general  in  the  face  of  any  ordinary 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          185 

foe  ;  I  only  venture  to  advise  you  on  those  points  which 
might  escape  you  in  dealing  with  an  enemy  whose  subtlety 
is  best  known  to  me." 

The  governor  expressed  himself  quite  satisfied  with  this 
explanation  ;  but  I  could  see,  nevertheless,  that  he  was 
inclined  to  eye  me  with  suspicion  for  having  neglected  to 
recommend  the  fortification  of  the  town  on  the  western  side, 
thinking,  maybe,  that  I  was  no  enemy  to  Rodrigues,  but  his 
friend,  come  there  with  a  plausible  tale  to  divert  his  defense 
from  the  weaker  side.  This,  indeed,  was  a  very  ridiculous 
thing  to  imagine  ;  yet  there  is  nothing  too  absurd  to  be 
entertained  of  a  suspicious  man  ;  and,  certainly,  no  men  do 
fear  treachery  more  than  these  same  Portugals,  albeit  they 
themselves  are  a  match  for  all  the  world  at  lying  and 
deceit. 

Despite  his  boast  that  the  guns  of  his  castle  could  sweep 
the  water  of  all  enemies,  he  did  not  neglect  the  advice  I 
had  given  him.  Divers  great  masts  were  bound  to  a  chain, 
and  this  laid  across  the  river,  firmly  secured  at  either  end. 
Within  this  barrier  lay  a  long  galley  ship,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  day  slaves  were  employed  in  carrying  goods  and 
merchandise  from  the  governor's  house  into  this  galley. 
Besides  this,  a  great  train  of  pack-mules  was  sent  up  into 
the  country  with  other  treasure.  Everywhere  there  was 
great  bustle  and  commotion,  for  the  merchants  and  others 
who  dwelt  in  the  town,  getting  wind  of  the  danger,  were  as 
anxious  to  have  their  goods  out  of  the  pirate's  reach  as  the 
governor  his  ;  nay,  so  eager  were  they  to  preserve  the  least 
valuable  part  of  their  property  that  they  would  have  de- 
parted with  their  goods  and  left  the  governor  alone  to  meet 
the  enemy,  but  that  Dom  Sebastian  did  threaten  to  hang  at 
the  first  opportunity  any  man  capable  of  bearing  arms  for 
the  defense  of  the  town  who  should  fail  to  answer  the  sum- 
mons of  his  trumpeter. 

As  long  as  there  was  light  to  see,  my  anxious  eyes  were 
strained  to  watch  the  approach  of  the  black  ship.  By  sun- 
set she  had  got  near  enough  for  us  to  descry  with  a  per- 
spective that  her  sails  were  being  furled,  which  showed  she 
had  cast  anchor  for  the  night.  So,  feeling  that  we  were 
perfectly  safe  for  the  next  ten  or  twelve  hours,  I  for  one 
made  no  scruple  to  accept  the  bed  offered  to  me,  for  such  a 


186          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

luxury  was  not  to  be  denied  by  one  who  had  not  felt  a  cool 
sheet  for  an  age. 

The  first  thing  that  entered  my  head  when  I  awoke  in  the 
morning  was  a  remembrance  that  we  had  left  the  boat  that 
belonged  to  the  Black  Death  high  and  dry  on  the  shore 
where  we  had  landed  after  our  escape  from  the  naturals, 
which  must  surely  be  seen  by  Rodrigues  in  searching  the 
shore  with  his  glass,  and  thus  betray  us  to  him.  Cursing 
my  want  of  forethought,  I  slipped  into  my  clothes  as 
nimbly  as  I  could,  and  started  to  go  to  the  citadel,  where  I 
counted  on  seeing  the  governor.  But  on  my  way  thither  I 
was  suddenly  brought  to  a  stand  by  the  reflection  that  I 
could  not  make  him  understand  a  word  of  what  I  wanted. 
What  was  I  to  do  ?  If  I  went  back  to  arouse  Lady  Biddy 
to  come  and  serve  as  interpreter,  I  must  of  a  certainty  lose 
time.  Every  moment  was  precious.  It  struck  me  that  if  I 
made  good  use  of  my  legs  I  could  get  to  the  boat  in  an 
hour,  stave  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  it,  shove  it  out  to  sea, 
and  so  be  quit  of  this  plaguy  evidence  ;  and  it  being  yet 
pretty  early,  I  counted  I  might  fairly  do  this  before  Rod- 
rigues had  come  within  boat-reach  of  the  spot.  Anyway,  I 
esteemed  it  would  be  best  to  try  and  do  this  of  my  own 
hand  rather  than  wait  until  a  lengthy  explanation  of  the 
matter  could  be  made  to  the  governor  through  Lady  Biddy  ; 
so,  without  more  ado,  I  turned  out  of  the  road  to  the  citadel 
by  that  path  we  had  come  by  the  day  before,  and  took  to 
my  heels  as  swiftly  as  I  could.  But  ere  I  had  come  to  the 
town-gate  a  couple  of  fellows,  springing  out  into  the  road, 
crossed  their  bills  in  front  of  me,  shouting  for  help;  where- 
upon, in  a  twinkling,  half  a  score  of  others  with  pike  and 
musket  ran  up  and  laid  hands  on  me.  It  was  useless  to  cry 
out  against  this  violence,  for  not  one  amongst  them  could 
make  out  what  I  said  ;  so  of  necessity  was  I  forced  to  yield 
patiently,  and  go  whither  they  chose  to  lead  me.  So,  like 
any  criminal  thief,  was  I  carried  to  the  citadel,  where  the 
governor  stood  with  his  friends  looking  out  to  sea. 

I  made  him  a  bow,  and  with  a  shrug,  after  their  manner, 
and  a  smile,  I  pointed  to  my  captors. 

Dom  Sebastian  replied  to  my  salute  very  stiffly  ;  but  as 
for  the  rest,  though  we  had  all  been  as  friendly  over  a  bot- 
tle and  tobacco-sticks  as  so  many  brothers  the  night  afore, 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          187 

they  took  no  more  notice  of  me,  except  to  stare  violently, 
than  if  they  had  just  clapped  eyes  on  me  for  the  first  time. 
The  men  who  had  stopped  me  told  their  tale — as  how  I 
was  running  out  of  the  town  as  fast  as  my  legs  could  carry 
me,  and  the  rest,  which  I  could  follow  pretty  closely  by 
reason  that  these  Portugals  do  suit  the  action  to  the  word 
most  admirably. 

When  the  governor  had  listened,  like  any  stock  of  wood 
for  stiffness,  to  their  history,  he  spoke  a  few  words  to  one 
of  the  fellows,  which  were,  I  take  it,  to  bid  him  fetch  Lady 
Biddy  ;  and  then  with  another  stiff  bow  to  me,  turned  on 
his  heel,  leaving  me  still  in  the  hands  of  the  musketeers, 
and  goes  with  his  friends  to  the  parapet  to  note  the  ad- 
vance of  the  black  ship. 

Now  I  was  vexed  in  the  extreme,  but  with  no  one  more 
than  myself  ;  for,  had  the  governor  been  no  Portugal,  yet 
must  it  have  aroused  his  suspicion  that  I  should  be  caught, 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  running  away  from  the  town 
in  the  direction  of  the  enemy  without  giving  any  word  of 
explanation  or  farewell. 

I  had  ample  time,  as  I  waited  there,  to  look  about  me. 
The  Black  Death  I  saw  not  above  a  couple  of  leagues  off, 
having  taken  advantage  betimes  of  the  favorable  breeze 
that  had  sprung  up  after  the  stillness  of  the  night.  This 
put  me  in  mind  that  I  should  have  done  well  to  assure  me 
of  where  the  enemy  was  before  I  started  on  my  mad 
journey,  for  he  was  already  past  the  spot  where  the  boat 
lay  ;  but,  indeed,  when  a  man  is  flurried  he  is  capable  of 
any  folly,  and  he  never  commits  one  without  entailing 
another. 

The  governor  and  his  friends  continued  in  close  conversa- 
tion— doubtless  discussing  my  behavior — until  Lady  Biddy 
came  breathless  to  my  side.  Seeing  me  under  arrest,  her 
face  was  filled  with  alarm,  and  any  one  might  see  that  her 
perplexity  was  unfeigned  ;  yet  I  doubt  if  this  removed  the 
suspicion  of  my  treachery. 

"  What  does  this  mean,  Benet  ?  "  asks  Lady  Biddy,  when 
could  fetch  her  breath. 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  that  is  the  question  I  want  you  to  ask 
Dom  Sebastian." 

The  governor,  who  had  drawn  nigh,  saluting  Lady  Biddy 


1 88          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

with  the  utmost  civility,  explained  to  her  that  I  had  been 
caught  attempting  to  run  out  of  the  town,  "  And  in  that 
direction,"  adds  he,  pointing  to  the  black  ship. 

In  a  few  words  I  told  how  this  came  to  pass,  the  gov- 
ernor eyeing  us  the  while  as  if  he  would  look  into  our  very 
hearts.  Happily  he  seemed  to  see  that  we  were  innocent, 
for  the  moment  he  heard  Lady  Biddy's  account  he  bade 
the  men  unhand  me,  and  begged  her  to  tell  me  that  he  was 
sorry  I  had  brought  myself  into  this  scrape,  added  that  he 
should  be  glad  to  know  how  I  came  to  forget  that  I  had 
left  the  boat  there. 

To  this  I  replied  that  I  could  say  nothing  in  defense  of 
my  oversight. 

"  I  trust,"  says  he,  "  the  senhor  will  not  get  himself  into 
further  trouble  by  a  like  accident.  Had  I  not  remembered 
the  boat  and  got  it  removed,  it  would  have  served  as  a  sure 
indication  to  the  enemy  that  there  was  a  path  from  that 
point  by  the  cliff." 

I  felt  that  I  deserved  this  reproach  ;  nay,  I  was  rather 
surprised  at  the  governor's  moderation,  for,  granting  that  I 
might  be  a  knave,  there  was  evidence  enough  against  me 
to  justify  a  halter  being  put  about  my  neck. 

"  I  am  the  more  concerned  for  your  cousin's  prudence," 
continues  he,  "  because  in  an  hour's  time  you  will  no  longer 
be  under  my  protection." 

*'  How,  your  excellency  ? "  cries  Biddy.  "  Are  you 
going  to  send  us  hence  ?  " 

"  Under  a  proper  escort,"  says  he,  "  who  will  insure  your 
safe  conduct  to  a  point  on  the  river  whither  my  wife  has 
already  gone  in  the  galley." 

I  had  resolved  to  discharge  my  debt  to  the  governor  by 
fighting  at  his  side,  if  Rodrigues  attacked  the  town  ;  but 
now  by  his  manner  1  perceived  so  clearly  that  we  were  being 
sent  away  because  he  mistrusted  us,  that  I  thought  better 
of  it  and  made  no  offer  of  my  services. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          189 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

WE  SET  OUT  FOR  THE  INTERIOR,  AND  I  FALL  INTO  MY  JEAL- 
OUS HUMOR  ONCE  MORE. 

HAVING  taken  formal  leave  of  the  governor,  whose 
duty  kept  him  to  the  citadel,  we  returned  to  the  house, 
where  we  had  barely  finished  our  meal  when  a  gentle- 
man came  to  us  in  great  haste,  telling  us  the  black  ship 
was  casting  anchor,  and  it  was  high  time  to  be  jogging. 

Our  escort  was  waiting  in  the  courtyard,  and  we  set  out, 
a  company  of  thirteen,  with  the  like  number  of  mules. 

Our  commander  was  a  Portugal  named  Lewis  de  Pino, 
and,  as  luck  would  have  it,  he  spoke  Italian  passably  ;  be- 
sides him,  there  were  ten  other  Portuguese^  footmen,  each 
armed  with  an  arquebuse,  a  sword,  and  a  good  supply  of 
powder  and  ball,  hung  on  their  bandalieros.  Three  of  the 
mules — sleek,  well-conditioned  beasts,  and  very  bravely 
caparisoned — served  to  carry  Lady  Biddy  the  commander, 
and  myself ;  the  rest  bore  pack-saddles  well  charged  with 
stores. 

We  crossed  the  champaign,  and  there  struck  into  the 
woods  by  a  trodden  path  with  a  pleasant  shade  of  trees. 
We  traveled  this  way  until  noon,  when,  being  come  to  a 
convenient  spot,  we  dismounted,  and  there  made  a  very 
excellent  repast  from  our  stores  ;  after  which  we  reposed 
until  the  great  heat  of  the  day  was  past,  and  then  pushed 
on  again. 

About  five  o'clock  we  came  to  an  opening  in  the  woods, 
whence  we  could  see  the  river  winding  through  the  valley 
below,  but  no  sign  of  the  galley  which  should  be  there 
waiting  for  us.  Whereupon  Senhor  Lewis,  who  spoke  the 
Italian,  seeming  to  fall  into  a  great  pet,  declared  that  this 
was  a  trick  of  the  governor's  lady  to  gratify  her  spleen 
against  Lady  Biddy,  which  had  been  only  too  evident  from 
the  very  first. 

"  Now,"  says  he,  "  I  perceive  why  she  was  so  anxious  to 
start  off  betimes,  and  why  she  urged  that  you,  being  un- 
used to  traveling  on  these  rivers,  could  never  endure  the 
teasing  of  the  flies  that  do  infest  the  water,  and  so  should 
go  as  far  as  you  might  by  road." 


19°  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  Our  mules  are  still  fresh,"  says  Lady  Biddy  ;  "  can  not 
we  get  to  our  destination  by  following  this  road  still 
further  ? " 

"  Nay,"  says  he,  "  for  Dom  Sebastian's  seat,  where  he 
designed  you  should  stay  with  his  lady  until  it  might  be 
safe  to  return  to  Castello  Lagos,  lies  yet  some  distance  up 
the  river,  and  is  only  to  be  reached  by  boat  from  the  point 
below.  For  the  river  winds  one  way,  and  this  road  the 
other  ;  nor  is  there  any  other  means  of  getting  at  it  that  I 
know  of.  But  I  will  make  sure  of  this  by  questioning  the 
men,  who  know  these  parts  better  than  I." 

While  he  was  parleying  with  his  men,  Lady  Biddy  nar- 
rated this  conversation  to  me,  and,  as  she  was  saying  the 
last  words,  he  comes  back,  still  feigning  to  be  greatly 
vexed. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  tell  you,  madam,"  says  he,  "  that  my 
men,  one  and  all,  agree  with  me  there  is  no  road  to  the 
governor's  seat ;  so  I  see  nothing  for  it  but  to  divide  my 
company,  and  give  you  one  half  to  cover  your  return  to 
Castello  Lagos." 

"  But  why  divide  the  company  ? "  says  Lady  Biddy  in 
alarm  ;  "  surely  you  will  return  with  us  ?  " 

"Nothing  would  give  me  greater  joy,"  says  he,  "but  I 
am  only  a  poor  merchant,  and  these  are  my  possessions  " 
(with  his  head  in  his  shoulders  and  his  hands  extended 
towards  the  company  of  footmen  and  mules).  "  I  offering 
you  half  my  servants,  I  jeopardize  as  much  as  I  can  afford, 
for  I  doubt  if  I  shall  see  e'er  a  one  of  'em  alive  again." 

When  Lady  Biddy  had  translated  this  to  me,  she  says, 
in  a  tone  of  terror  : 

"  If  he  does  not  expect  his  men  to  save  their  lives  in  re- 
turning to  the  town,  how  may  we  hope  to  escape  ?  We 
can  not  return  thither.  Oh,  Benet,  what  shall  we  do  ? " 

I  was  myself  prodigiously  taken  aback,  and  not  a  little 
scared,  by  this  new  turn  of  affairs ;  yet,  seeing  how  my 
dear  lady  was  upset,  I  tried  to  calm  her  mind  by  making 
light  of  the  matter. 

"  Be  of  good  cheer,"  says  I ;  "we  will  for  certain  not  go 
back  to  this  Castello  Lagos,  for  if  the  Portugal  will  not 
venture  his  carcase  there,  I  will  assuredly  not  risk  mine. 
Nay,  you  ghould  know,  cousin,"  I  adds,  feeling  a  little  sore 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAttE.  19! 

for  reasons  that  I  shall  presently  explain,  "  that  I  treasure 
your  safety  more  than  this  man  does  his  merchandise.  I 
see  through  this  rogue  of  a  merchant,  who,  as  likely  as 
not,  has  contrived  this  difficulty  for  his  own  profit.  Do 
you  ask  the  fellow  such  questions  as  I  would  put  to  him." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  "  What  shall  I 
ask  him,  Benet  ?" 

"  Ask  him  if  he  be  a  merchant  of  Castello  Lagos,"  says 
I,  putting  on  a  pretty  determined  air. 

To  this  Lewis  de  Pino  replied  that  he  was  a  merchant  of 
Valerias,  whither  he  was  now  going.  "  Valerias,"  says  I, 
pretending  to  be  mighty  knowing,  that  he  might  not  per- 
ceive my  ignorance,  "  that  lies  betwixt  here  and  Caracas, 
I  take  it." 

He  replied  yes,  but  after  looking  at  me  in  silence  a 
minute,  as  though  to  make  out  what  I  was  driving  at. 

"And  Caracas,"  says  I,  in  the  same  tone,  "is  t'other 
side  of  those  mountains  ? " 

"  Preciseamento  !  "  says  he,  with  a  grin,  holding  up  his 
hand  with  the  tips  of  his  thumb  and  second  finger  joined. 

'«  How  far  is  it  to  Valerias  ? "  I  asked. 

"  About  six  days'  journey,"  says  he  in  reply. 

"  And  from  Valerias  to  Caracas  is  no  great  matter," 
says  I  still,  as  if  I  knew  the  road  well  enough. 

"  The  senhor  knows  that  it  is  no  distance  at  all,"  says  he. 

"  Good,"  says  I  ;  "  then,  as  our  object  is  to  get  back  to 
England  rather  than  to  trespass  upon  Dom  Sebastian's 
hospitality,  you  shall  carry  us  with  you,  for  which  service 
you  shall  be  well  paid.  You  shall  have  my  bond  for  any 
reasonable  sum." 

He  would  have  it  that  he  needed  no  recompense,  but  I 
could  see  plainly  that  he  was  very  well  pleased  with  this 
turn,  which  did  further  convince  me  the  matter  was 
planned  beforehand. 

We  pushed  on  till  dusk,  when  we  reached  a  collection  of 
wooden  huts,  walled  in  with  a  palisade  of  stout  wooden 
spikes,  crossed  in  the  manner  of  the  letter  X,  and  the 
spaces  so  stuffed  with  thorns  and  prickly  herbs  that  no 
man  (least  of  all  a  naked  savage)  could  go  either  in  or  out, 
save  by  the  postern  gate  at  one  side.  In  the  midst  of 
these  huts  stood  a  stone  tower,  pierced  with  little  holes  in 


192  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

the  upper  part,  for  the  use  of  muskets  in  case  of  attack,  as 
I  thought. 

We  saw  no  women  or  children  in  this  village,  but  only 
about  a  dozen  wild,  fierce  Portugals,  each  with  a  long  knife 
stuck  in  his  girdle  ;  and  one,  who  seemed  to  have  just  re- 
turned from  the  chase,  had  his  musket  slung  on  behind  to 
his  bandeliero,  and  was  dressed  in  a  jerkin,  breeches,  and 
gaiters  of  leather.  With  their  ragged  beards,  their  sun- 
burnt skins,  and  savage  air,  they  looked  like  so  many  brig- 
ands ;  yet  were  they  as  courteous  as  lackeys  to  us,  helping 
us  to  dismount,  and  providing  us  with  all  that  was  neces- 
sary to  our  comfort.  Most  of  the  houses  were  mere  sheds, 
used  for  the  storing  of  powder,  food,  etc.,  for  these  Portu- 
gals, as  I  learnt,  were  hunters,  who  never  slept  under  a  roof 
except  in  the  rainy  season  ;  but  there  was  one  well  fur- 
nished and  provided  with  sleeping-rooms  to  serve  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  merchants,  who  came  from  time  to 
time  to  truck  their  merchandise  for  the  spoils  brought 
hither  by  the  hunters. 

When  we  had  supped,  Lady  Biddy,  being  fatigued  with 
the  day's  journey,  betook  herself  to  her  room,  and  I,  hav- 
ing no  inclination  for  society,  lay  myself  down  in  a  net 
hung  from  two  beams  in  the  roof,  which  is  their  manner  of 
sleeping  in  these  parts,  and  the  first  I  had  ever  seen  of 
such  strange  bed-places.  There  was  a  second  net  in  this 
chamber  for  Lewis  de  Pino  ;  but  he,  having  business  to  do 
with  the  hunters,  that  we  might  start  betimes  the  next 
morning,  went  out  and  joined  them  elsewhere,  so  that  I  was 
left  alone  to  my  meditations. 

And  here  I  took  myself  to  task,  as  well  I  might,  for  hav- 
ing misbehaved  myself  in  a  very  pitiful,  paltry  sort  towards 
Lady  Biddy  from  the  first  moment  we  set  out  on  our 
journey.  To  make  an  honest  confession,  I  had  allowed 
myself  once  more  to  come  under  the  dominion  of  that 
abominable  jealousy  which  was  my  besetting  vice.  For 
this  Lewis  de  Pino  was  one  of  those  gallants  we  had  dis- 
covered seated  with  Dom  Sebastian  on  our  arrival  at  Cas- 
tello  Lagos,  and  the  most  persistent  in  passing  his  addresses 
to  my  lady  ;  nay,  he  was  so  smitten  with  her  charms  that 
his  eyes  did  seem  to  devour  her  as  often  as  he  looked  at 
her.  I  had  observed  him  more  than  once  talking  apart 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          193 

with  the  governor  very  earnestly  :  once  touching  hands  as 
if  on  a  bargain  ;  and  from  this  I  concluded  that  we  had 
been  sold  in  a  manner  by  the  governor  to  Lewis  de  Pino  to 
further  the  amorous  designs  of  the  latter  upon  Lady  Biddy. 
Now  this  conviction  should  have  drawn  me  closer  to  her  as 
a  friend  and  protector,  and  so  it  would,  but  I  took  it  into 
my  head  that  she  looked  too  kindly  on  him. 

In  crossing  the  champaign  she  took  no  notice  of  him 
whatever,  being  concerned  for  our  safety,  and  fearing  Rod- 
rigues  would  get  upon  our  track  ere  we  got  to  a  place  of 
safety ;  and  all  this  while  she  was  very  silent  and  preoc- 
cupied, turning  in  her  saddle  now  and  again  to  look  back, 
and  asking  me  if  I  thought  we  should  yet  escape,  etc.,  all 
in  a  very  troubled  and  grave  manner  ;  but  being  come  into 
the  wood,  and  greatly  relieved  of  her  anxiety,  she  grew,  as 
it  was  natural  she  should,  very  suddenly  gay  and  sprightly. 
Just  at  that  time  Lewis  de  Pino  came  to  her  side  with  a 
compliment  in  Italian,  which,  as  I  say,  he  spoke  indiffer- 
ently well,  and  this  brought  the  smile  to  her  cheek. 

"  She  has  not  smiled  on  me  since  we  bade  each  other 
good-morning,"  says  I  to  myself.  "  Nay,  she  would 
scarcely  accept  for  a  truth  my  assurance  of  her  safety  ;  yet 
the  moment  this  grinning  Portugal  comes  to  her  side  she 
forgets  our  peril  and  is  blithe." 

So  we  continued  our  way  ;  he  one  side  of  my  lady  chat- 
ting and  smiling,  and  I  on  the  other  glum  and  mumchance. 
Nor  did  I  speak  a  single  word  for  half  an  hour,  when  she 
says,  turning  to  me  with  the  smile  Lewis  de  Pino  had 
brought  to  her  face  : 

"  Have  you  nothing  to  say,  Benet  ?  " 

On  this,  feeling  ashamed  to  acknowledge  the  truth,  I 
sought  to  excuse  myself  with  a  lie. 

"  I  am  thinking,"  says  I,  "  of  our  peril,  which  is  none  of 
the  least." 

"  Why,"  says  she,  "  what  have  we  to  fear  now  ?  That 
man  will  never  surely  pursue  us  hither." 

"  No,"  says  I  ;  "  very  likely  not ;  but  I  have  heard  no 
sounds  of  firing,  and  I  do  fear  the  governor,  despite  my 
warning,  has  yielded  to  some  cunning  artifice  of  Rod- 
rigues ;  who  by  threat  or  torture  may  persuade  him  to 
(etch  us  back  with  his  soldiery." 


194          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

She  translated  my  fears  to  Lewis  de  Pino,  who  replied 
that  Dom  Sebastian  would  perish  in  flames  rather  than  be 
guilty  of  treachery. 

"  And  I  think  so  likewise,"  added  Lady  Biddy,  when  she 
had  rendered  this,  "for  these  Portugals  have  nobility 
stamped  in  their  features." 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "  and  cruelty  stamped  on  their  lips,  and 
wickedness  in  their  eyes  as  well." 

"  As  for  that,"  says  she,  laughing,  "  we  are  not  all  Puri- 
tans. You  must  admit,"  added  she,  with  a  malicious 
twinkle  in  her  eye,  for  I  fancy  she  perceived  the  secret  of 
my  dislike  and  would  pique  me  for  a  punishment — "  you 
must  admit  Senhor  Lewis  is  a  very  handsome  man." 

"  Yes,"  says  I ;  "  but  I  like  him  none  the  better  for 
that." 

Presently  we  came  to  a  part  where,  the  path  growing 
narrower,  there  was  room  but  for  two  to  go  abreast,  and 
here  Lewis  de  Pino,  taking  off  his  hat,  made  as  though  he 
would  yield  his  place  to  me  ;  but  I,  not  to  be  outdone  in 
civility,  gave  him  back  his  salute  and  fell  behind. 

There  were  abundance  of  beauteous  flowers  and  gay- 
plumed  birds  and  curious  growths  on  either  side  to  please 
the  eye  and  interest  the  mind  ;  but  I  could  not  take  my 
eyes  off  the  two  faces  before  me,  turned  towards  each  other, 
and  flushed  with  pleasure. 

"  And  why,"  I  asked  myself,  as  I  lay  in  my  net  brooding 
on  these  things — "  why  should  she  not  be  pleased  with  the 
courteous  and  lively  attentions  of  a  well-favored  and  good- 
tempered  companion  ?  Had  I  made  myself  agreeable,  in- 
stead of  sitting  like  any  stock  for  stupidity,  she  would  have 
smiled  on  me.  This  was  the  first  moment  of  ease,  the  first 
opportunity  of  pleasant  conversation  with  one  of  her  own 
degree,  that  she  had  enjoyed  for  many  a  day.  Granted  his 
talk,  as  you  would  believe  in  your  prejudice  and  ignorance, 
was  trivial,  might  it  not  yet  have  been  amusing  ?  Wouldn't 
you,  Benet,  rather  sit  an  hour  listening  to  the  jests  of  a 
Merry  Andrew  than  wait  half  as  long  for  an  oracle  to  de- 
liver itself  ? " 

But  my  lady,  for  all  her  amusement,  did  think  of  me — 
ay,  I  believe  she  was  concerned  for  my  silence  and  grieved 
at  my  moody  humor.  Perhaps  she  repented  having 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          195 

wounded  my  feelings  by  treating  my  gravity  lightly.  Still, 
she  had  too  much  spirit,  too  much  proper  pride,  to  humble 
herself  by  asking  forgiveness  ;  nay,  delicate  consideration 
for  my  feelings  might  have  withheld  her  from  humiliating 
me  by  taking  my  folly  seriously.  Nevertheless,  I  say,  she 
did  think  of  me,  and  turning  now  and  then  pointed  out  to 
me  some  sweet  flower  or  pretty  bird.  And  how  did  I  make 
a  return  for  this  gentle  kindness  ?  By  answering  in  a  cava- 
lier and  careless  manner  that  was  particularly  detestable. 

All  these  reflections  came  to  my  mind,  I  say,  as  I  lay  in 
the  dark  ;  and  so  I  fell  a-tormenting  myself  with  reproaches 
to  such  a  degree  that  had  I  been  ten  times  as  tired  I  could 
not  have  closed  an  eye. 

Some  time  after,  Lewis  de  Pino,  a  little  the  worse  for 
liquor,  as  I  judged,  came  into  the  chamber,  clambered  up 
into  his  net,  and  fell  a-snoring  like  any  pig,  so  that,  maugre 
my  condition,  I  did  wish  Lady  Biddy  could  hear  him. 

I  was  still  lying  wide  awake,  thinking  what  a  hound  I 
was,  when  suddenly  there  fell  upon  my  ear  a  sound  like  a 
woman  wailing  in  grief.  I  could  not  believe  this  until  I 
heard  the  sound  a  second  time.  Then  I  started  on  the 
instant  to  my  feet,  knowing  there  was  no  woman  there  but 
Lady  Biddy  ;  but  forgetting  the  kind  of  bed  in  which  I 
lay,  and  how  no  man  but  a  rope-dancer  could  stand  up  in 
such  a  thing  safely,  I  swung  on  one  side  and  came  down 
with  a  spank  on  the  floor.  At  that  noise,  Lewis  de  Pino 
awoke  with  a  grunt,  but  he  fell  asleep  with  another  the 
next  minute  ;  and  now,  coming  to  my  feet,  I  heard  again 
that  mournful,  sorrowing  cry.  The  door  stood  wide  open. 
Outside  all  was  still.  Not  a  breath  of  air  moved  the  leaves 
of  the  trees.  The  big  stars  looked  down  very  peacefully. 
In  the  distance  I  saw  the  Portugals  lying  on  the  ground 
asleep  like  so  many  dogs  ;  but  nothing  moved. 

Then,  again,  as  I  stood  there,  my  heart  was  pierced  with 
the  distant  moan.  I  crept  to  the  hut  where  Lady  Biddy 
lay,  and,  tapping  gently  at  the  door,  asked  if  she  were  in 
pain. 

But  she  answered  that  it  was  not  she  who  cried  ;  at 
which  my  heart  was  comforted,  for  at  the  first  I  thought 
that  maybe  my  sullen  humor  had  moved  her  to  tears. 

So  thinking  the  sound  was  but  the  note  of  a  night-bird, 


I96  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

of  which  there  are  many  in  these  woods  that  have  the  most 
strange  human  voices  of  any  living  thing,  I  went  back  to 
my  net,  and  presently  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

AN   EXPLANATION    OF    THAT   CRY    I    HEARD    IN    THE  NIGHT, 
WITH   OTHER    PERTINENT    MATTER. 

'T^HE  next  morning  when  we  were  mounted,  and  only 
waiting  the  order  to  start  on  our  way,  our  ears  were 
assailed  by  the  piteous  cry  of  a  woman,  which  recalled 
to  my  mind  the  weeping  I  had  heard  in  the  night  ;  but  now 
the  wailing  was  close  at  hand,  coming  from  the  midst  of 
the  huts  where  the  tower  stood.  The  next  moment  there 
sounded  the  sharp  crack  of  a  whip,  followed  by  a  scream  of 
pain.  At  this  the  pretty  color  went  out  of  Lady  Biddy's 
cheek,  and  she  called  to  Lewis  de  Pino,  who  stood  talking 
with  one  of  the  hunters  (and  both  as  unconcerned  as  if 
they  had  been  stone  deaf),  to  know  whence  that  cry  came  ; 
bnt  ere  he  could  come  smiling  to  her  side  to  reply,  the 
whole  matter  was  explained  by  the  appearance  of  five 
young  Indian  women  bearing  among  them  a  long  pole,  to 
which  they  were  attached  by  leather  collars  round  their 
throats.  The  foremost  of  them  was  stanching  her  tears 
with  her  hands  under  the  threat  of  the  arquebusier  con- 
ducting them,  who  had  a  short-stocked  whip  with  a  long 
lash  in  his  hand,  with  which  he  tapped  her  shoulder  men- 
acingly as  he  spoke.  These  poor  souls  had  never  a  bit  of 
clothes  on  but  a  clout  about  their  loins,  and  she  who  was 
trying  to  check  her  weeping  had  a  long  wheal  across  her 
neck,  that  stood  out  purple  from  her  copper  skin  where  the 
whip  had  fallen. 

Lady  Biddy  was  greatly  shocked  at  the  spectacle  of  this 
barbarity  ;  nor  could  she  smile  on  Lewis  de  Pino  that  day 
as  she  had  the  day  before,  which  I  was  glad  to  observe  ; 
albeit  he  did  all  he  could  to  set  this  matter  in  a  fair  liijht 
when  we  stopped  at  noon  to  dinner.  He  told  her  thai 
slaves  were  one  of  the  commodities  he  dealt  in,  and  that  if 
he  did  not  occupy  himself  in  this  traffic  another  would,  anO. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LAD*  BIDDY  PANE.          197 

maybe  to  their  disadvantage,  assuring  her  they  were  better 
treated  at  his  hands  than  by  their  own  kinsmen,  who,  of 
their  own  free  will,  brought  their  wives  and  daughters 
down  to  the  station  to  sell  them  for  knives,  axes,  beads, 
and  the  like  ;  justifying  himself  by  the  opinion  of  some 
very  pious  writers  that  all  things  being  created  for  the  use 
of  man,  Providence  did  furnish  the  savage  heathens  to  be 
servants  of  Christians  for  the  cultivation  of  spices,  sugars, 
and  other  things  necessary  to  their  comfort. 

"  But,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  "  if  their  case  is  better  as 
slaves  than  as  free  women,  why  does  that  poor  soul 
weep  ? " 

"  Why,*'  says  he,  "  my  man  was  forced  to  use  his  whip 
because  she  strove  to  hang  herself  by  the  neck  to  the  pole 
the  others  carried  ;  and  you  must  agree  that  in  every  coun- 
try those  are  deservingly  punished  who  attempt  to  end  a 
life  given  them  to  be  a  blessing  to  their  fellow-creatures." 

"  Nay,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  "  that  is  no  answer  to  my 
question.  She  wept  ere  she  tried  to  end  her  miserable  life, 
for  a  certainty,  and  I  would  know  why  she  wept." 

Lewis  de  Pino,  making  inquiries  on  this,  learnt  that  the 
young  woman  had  but  recently  been  wedded,  and  that  her 
husband  losing  his  life  in  battle,  she  had  been  sold  by  her 
father,  who  could  not  be  burthened  with  her. 

"  So  you  see,  madam,"  says  he,  when  he  had  imparted 
this,  "  we  treat  them  no  worse  than  they  would  be  treated  if 
we  did  not  exist.  Nevertheless,  'tis  a  trade  I  would  gladly 
abandon,  for  the  sight  of  their  suffering — which  I  can  not 
ignore — unmans  me  for  my  business,  so  that  I  often  pay 
more  for  these  slaves  than  they  are  worth,  merely  to  secure 
them  from  the  ill-treatment  they  would  receive  were  they 
returned  upon  the  hands  of  those  who  would  be  rid  of  them. 
Nay,  the  sight  of  that  poor  creature's  tears  so  moves  me 
that  I  will,  if  it  please  you,  order  her  collar  to  be  unbolted 
and  give  her  freedom." 

This  the  sly  rogue  offered,  knowing  well  that  Lady  Biddy 
would  not  consent  to  an  act  which  he  himself  had  shown 
would  be  the  greater  cruelty,  and  with  the  sole  intent,  I 
take  it,  to  insinuate  himself  into  my  lady's  good  graces. 
All  that  she  desired,  therefore,  was  that  the  young  woman 
should  be  placed  on  one  of  the  pack-mules  until  she  had 


19&          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAME. 

recovered  from  the  exhaustion  into  which  her  grief  had 
thrown  her.  Whereupon  Lewis  de  Pino,  with  as  good 
grace  as  he  could  muster,  ordered  her  leather  collar  to  be 
unbolted,  and  a  place  to  be  made  for  her  on  one  of  the 
mules,  making  the  young  woman  understand  at  the  same 
time  that  it  was  by  the  wish  of  Lady  Biddy  that  this  indul- 
gence was  granted  her.  This  she  understood  well  enough, 
for  being  freed  she  rushes  to  Lady  Biddy,  embraces  her 
knees,  pressing  her  face  against  them  ;  but  this  done,  ere 
hand  could  be  laid  on  her,  she  darted  off  with  a  cry  like  a 
startled  blackbird  into  the  wood. 

Coming  to  a  distance,  she  had  yet  so  much  feeling  that 
gratitude  rose  in  her  bosom  above  the  instinct  of  self-pre- 
servation, and  she  turned  about,  raising  her  arms  in  the  air 
as  if  to  bless  Lady  Biddy.  At  that  moment,  seeing  her  thus 
exposed,  a  Portugal  cocks  his  musket,  and,  clapping  it  to 
his  shoulder,  fires  at  her  ;  but  by  good  chance  I,  standing 
not  more  than  a  yard  off,  was  enabled  by  a  quick  movement 
to  fling  the  fellow's  arm  up,  whereby  the  ball  passed  harm- 
lessly over  her  head.  With  another  wild  cry  of  joy  she 
turned  about  and  fled  out  of  sight,  nor  did  any  of  the  Por- 
tugals  attempt  to  follow  her  more  than  a  score  of  yards  or 
so,  for  loaded  as  they  were  with  their  arms,  to  pursue  her, 
who  was  light  on  foot  as  any  deer,  was  a  profitless  folly. 

This  business  did  not  prove  more  clearly  than  words 
what  a  liar  Lewis  de  Pino  was,  for  surely  the  girl  would  not 
so  joyously  have  recovered  freedom  if  that  was  true  that  he 
told  of  the  barbarity  of  her  kinsfolk.  But  for  all  this  he  did 
persevere  in  defending  himself  as  we  continued  our  march, 
and,  to  my  mortification,  Lady  Biddy  allowed  herself,  as  I 
judged  by  her  manner,  to  be  beguiled  by  his  crafty  tongue. 
So  that  I  was  not  much  better  pleased  with  her  this  day 
than  I  had  been  the  day  before. 

Indeed,  it  was  past  my  comprehension  how  one  of  her 
understanding  could  fail  to  see  that  this  Lewis  de  Pino,  for 
all  his  good  looks  and  fair  speaking,  was  an  arrant  rascal ; 
but  that  was  no  such  extraordinary  matter  neither,  for  as 
the  day  began  to  draw  in  I  began  to  doubt  whether  I  had 
not  suffered  him  to  deceive  me,  who  was  by  no  means  under 
the  charm  of  his  personal  gifts.  For,  taking  note  of  the 
position  of  the  sun  pretty  frequently,  and  making  all  allow- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          199 

ance  for  the  turns  of  the  path  in  winding  amongst  the 
mountains,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  we  had  been  trav- 
eling for  these  two  days  full  south,  and  rather  a  pointer  so 
to  the  east  of  it  than  to  the  west.  Then  calling  to  mind 
as  well  as  I  could  the  look  of  the  chart,  it  grew  upon  me 
that  we  were  not  making  in  the  direction  of  Caracas  at  all, 
by  reason  that  the  chain  of  mountains  there  set  down  ran 
east  and  west,  with  Caracas  lying  not  more  than  half  a 
dozen  leagues  from  the  sea. 

As  this  conviction  became  stronger,  I  was  troubled  be- 
yond description,  for  to  go  back  was  out  of  the  question  ; 
while  to  go  on  was  to  lay  ourselves  more  inevitably  in  the 
power  of  Lewis  de  Pino.  So,  with  a  heart  like  any  lump  of 
lead,  I  laid  me  in  my  net  that  night  ;  yet  might  I  have 
counted  myself  ,a  happy  man  at  that  time  could  I  have  fore- 
seen the  greater  trouble  that  was  to  come,  as  I  shall  show 
in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

I     AM     OVERCOME     AND     CLAPPED      UP     IN    ONE   OF   THOSE 

STRONG  TOWERS. 

WE  set  out  from  that  station  the  next  morning  about 
seven  o'clock  with  another  pole  of  six  slaves  added 
to  our  number,  and,  toiling  upwards,  in  about  two 
hours  we  came  out  of  the  woods  into  a  very  wild,  rocky 
country,  where  scarcely  any  herb  grew  for  the  height  and 
abundance  of  stone.  Sometimes  the  path  wound  along 
the  edge  of  horrid  precipices,  and  sometimes  between 
prodigious  high  rocks,  and  this  way  I  counted  we  crossed 
over  a  low  chain  of  mountains  ;  for  about  noon  we  began 
to  descend  again,  but  the  road  so  steep  and  foul  with  loose 
stones  that  'twas  as  much  as  the  mules  could  do  to  keep 
their  feet  at  times.  As  for  the  poor  slaves,  their  pain  was 
great  indeed,  by  reason  of  being  yoked  to  the  poles  one  be- 
hind the  other  ;  for  if  one  slipped  she  was  as  good  as 
strangled  in  her  collar  ;  and  if  those  behind  could  not  keep 
pace  with  those  before,  they  were  like  all  to  be  thrown 
down.  To  see  the  sweat  pouring  down  their  dusky  skins, 
the  agony  in  their  faces,  the  blood  on  their  feet  and  legs  cut 


200  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

by  the  sharp  stones,  was  enough  to  melt  any  heart  of  stone. 
Yet  that  which  did  move  me  was  their  silence  in  the  midst 
of  their  suffering  ;  no  herd  of  spent  cattle  could  have  shown 
more  patient  endurance. 

An  hour  of  sliding  and  stumbling  brought  us  to  a  station 
at  the  bottom  of  this  rocky  valley  ;  but  it  was  unlike  the 
other  two,  in  having  no  trees  around  it,  and  a  stone  wall  in 
place  of  a  stockade  ;  besides  that,  it  was  twice  as  big.  The 
tower  also  was  greater  and  stronger  here,  and  the  men  had 
not  that  same  aspect,  but  looked  ten  times  more  cruel  and 
brutal.  Every  man  of  them  carried  arms,  as  if  he  mistrusted 
his  fellows,  and  all  had  a  very  hang-dog  look  in  their  sullen 
faces.  This,  I  take  it,  came  partly  of  their  living  always  in 
that  grim,  barren  valley,  where  the  sun  never  shone  ;  and 
partly  of  their  occupation,  which  was  to  goad  on  and  watch 
over  the  slaves  who  worked  mines  in  that  region  ;  for  I 
observed  that  men's  looks  do  take  on  the  aspect  of  the  sur- 
roundings and  the  character  of  the  company  they  keep  ; 
and  truly  these  fellows  looked  as  sullen  and  forbidding  as 
the  rocks,  with  something  of  that  dull,  hopeless  expression 
that  marked  the  faces  of  their  slaves. 

After  I  had  eaten  my  dinner  (Lady  Biddy  having  gone 
to  her  chamber  to  rest  until  it  was  time  to  set  out  again)  I 
went  to  the  door  of  the  hut,  and  looking  up  saw  Lewis  de 
Pino  in  close  conversation  with  a  fellow  who  seemed  to  be 
the  chief  of  the  gang.  When  I  saw  how  they  lay  their 
heads  together,  speaking  low  so  that  not  a  sound  of  their 
voices  could  I  hear,  my  mind  misgave  me  ;  but  presently 
the  rogue  whom  I  called  the  chief  goes  up  to  the  slaves  and 
examines  them,  opening  their  eyes  and  pinching  their  flesh, 
as  if  to  know  if  they  were  healthy  or  not ;  and  then  he  takes 
Lewis  de  Pino  to  a  box  and  shows  him  some  pieces  of  metal, 
so  that  I  concluded  they  were  only  trafficking  their  wares. 
Wherefore,  being  disgusted  with  the  whole  business,  I 
turned  my  back  on  them,  and  flung  myself  on  the  net  that 
hung  in  the  hut,  where  I  presently  fell  asleep. 

How  long  I  had  lain  there  1  know  not  (nor  is  it  any  great 
matter),  but  I  was  awoke  rudely  enough  by  four  sturdy  ras- 
cals laying  hands  on  me  at  the  same  time  that  a  fifth  did  cram 
a  filthy  clout  in  my  mouth  by  way  of  gag.  Seeing  they 
meant  to  do  me  mischief,  I  put  out  all  my  strength  to  get 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          201 

free  of  their  hands,  and  out  of  that  accursed  net  on  to  the 
firm  ground,  where  I  might  better  defend  myself ;  but  all 
to  no  purpose,  for  the  net  gave  no  hold  to  my  feet  or  van- 
tage-point of  any  kind,  so  that  I  presently  found  myself 
bound  hand  and  foot  to  my  bed,  with  no  more  power  to  get 
out  of  it  than  if  it  had  been  my  skin.  And  all  this  was  done 
without  so  much  as  a  word  or  any  perceptible  sound,  for 
their  feet  were  bare. 

Seeing  I  was  secure,  they  cut  the  cords  that  fastened  the 
two  ends  of  the  net  to  the  roof,  and  one  fellow  shouldering 
the  end  at  my  head  and  another  that  at  my  heels,  they  carried 
me  out  of  the  hut,  and  so  jogged  along  pretty  briskly  till 
they  reached  the  tower.  Here  the  stairs  being  narrow  and 
awkward,  they  flung  me  on  the  ground  till  they  had  tied  a 
long  cord  to  my  feet,  when  four  of  them  went  to  the  head 
of  the  stairs,  and  pulling  on  to  the  cord  with  a  will,  they 
draggod  me  to  the  upper  story  like  any  bag  of  malt.  From 
the  landing  they  hauled  me  into  a  dim  chamber,  and  there 
they  left  me  to  get  out  of  my  bonds  as  I  might  ;  going  out 
by  the  door,  which  they  barred  and  bolted  close. 

For  a  few  moments  I  lay  there  stupefied  by  the  rough 
usage  I  had  been  put  to  (for  being  dragged  up  heels  fore- 
most in  the  way  I  have  described  had  thrown  the  blood  into 
my  head),  but  as  my  intelligence  returned  I  saw  that  I  had 
been  clapped  up  in  order  that  Lewis  de  Pino  might  carry 
off  my  Lady  Biddy  without  opposition  from  me.  No 
sooner  did  this  idea  come  into  my  mind  than  I  set  to  like  a 
madman  struggling  to  burst  the  cords  that  bound  me  ;  but 
this  rash  endeavor  only  drew  the  knots  tighter,  without 
breaking  a  strand  of  those  hard  ropes  ;  yet  was  I  made  so 
frantic  by  the  image  of  harm  coming  to  my  dear  lady  that 
I  never  paused  to  consider  whether  my  strength  might  be 
better  employed  than  in  these  vain  efforts,  nor  heeded  the 
wounds  I  inflicted  on  my  own  flesh,  but  still  tore  at  the 
bonds  with  my  bleeding  wrists,  as  if  my  life  depended  on 
getting  free  ;  nay,  I  do  believe  that  had  a  tiger  been  in  that 
chamber,  drawing  near  to  tear  me  with  his  bloody  fangs,  I 
could  have  looked  upon  him  with  greater  calm  than  I  could 
support  the  image  of  my  lady  being  borne  away  from  me. 
So  in  a  frenzy  that  grew  with  the  conviction  of  my  impo- 
tency  rather  than  diminished,  I  labored  as  though  I  would 


202  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

tear  my  hands  off  to  free  my  arms,  until  all  my  strength  was 
spent,  and  I  lay  motionless,  but  for  the  throbbing  of  my 
chest,  as  I  panted  for  breath.  This  brought  me  to  a  more 
reasonable  state  of  mind,  and  as  I  got  out  of  my  faintness 
1  began  to  wriggle  my  hands  about  without  straining  over- 
much, and,  thanks  to  the  rope  being  made  somewhat  slip- 
pery with  the  blood  from  my  wrists,  I  presently  got  one 
hand  loose,  and  after  that  it  was  but  a  trifling  matter  (when 
I  had  freed  my  mouth  from  that  beastly  thing  they  had 
crammed  in  to  gag  me  withal)  to  free  the  other,  and  after 
that  my  legs  and  ankles. 

And  now,  seeing  that  I  had  done  more  to  get  my  free- 
dom by  a  ten  minutes'  patient  endeavor  than  I  had  come, 
at  in  furiously  struggling  for  the  best  part  of  an  hour  (and 
that  without  doing  myself  any  mischief),  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  go  about  my  business  in  a  reasonable  fashion  hence- 
forth. So  getting  on  my  legs  I  looked  about  me  to  find 
what  part  of  my  prison  it  was  easiest  to  break  through  ; 
and  this  gave  me  but  little  comfort,  for  no  part  seemed 
weaker  than  the  rest,  but  all  alike  prodigious  stout  and 
strong. 

The  four  walls  were  of  solid  stone,  with  no  opening  save 
the  door,  and  six  narrow  slits,  no  bigger  than  rifts  for  shoot- 
ing arrows,  to  admit  light,  and  they  higher  up  than  I  could 
get  at  with  my  hand,  standing  on  my  toes.  The  roof  sprang 
from  the  walls  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  floor,  and  the 
cross-beams  were  boarded  over.  But  casting  my  eye  this 
way  and  that  way,  I  saw  a  chink  of  light  here  and  there, 
which  led  me  to  think  these  boards  were  not  nailed  clown, 
but  laid  loosely  down  for  the  convenience  of  making  a  cock- 
loft there,  and  also  that  the  roof  must  have  some  opening 
for  the  light  thus  to  creep  through. 

Now  I  thought  that  if  I  could  once  get  into  the  cock-loft 
the  affair  would  be  best  part  done  ;  for  if  there  were  no 
dormer  window,  yet  might  I  shift  the  shingles  or  the  tiles 
of  the  roof,  and  so  make  an  opening  wide  enough  to  creep 
through  ;  and  I  counted  that  those  cords  which  had  bound 
me,  tied  together  with  the  net-bed,  which  might  be  cut 
into  three  strips,  and  yet  have  strength  to  bear  my  weight, 
would  serve  to  let  me  down  some  part  of  the  way  to  the 
ground.  What  I  should  do  after  I  got  to  the  ground  I  did 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         203 

not  trouble  myself  to  consider  ;  the  main  thing  was  to  get 
out  of  the  tower  safely. 

The  more  I  looked  at  the  chinks  above,  the  more  I  liked 
my  project  ;  but  how  to  make  my  way  up  into  the  cock- 
loft, as  I  call  it,  was  the  plague.  I  passed  my  hands  care- 
fully over  every  part  of  the  walls  within  reach,  hoping  to 
find  some  hole  or  cranny  to  climb  up  by  ;  but  the  stones 
were  all  smooth  and  flush,  so  that  a  cat  could  not  have 
climbed  up  them.  Nor  was  there  anything  in  the  shape  of 
furniture  that  I  might  build  up  for  a  ladder.  There  was 
naught  within  these  four  walls  but  myself  and  the  net  I  had 
been  trussed  up  in.  Taking  up  one  of  the  cords  from  the 
ground,  and  weighing  it  in  my  hand,  I  asked  myself  if  I 
could  by  any  means  turn  it  to  my  purpose  ;  after  thinking 
some  little  while,  it  came  into  my  mind  that  if  I  made  a  big 
knot  at  one  end,  and  thrust  it  through  one  of  the  rifts  so 
that  it  would  hitch  on  the  outer  side  of  the  wall,  I  might 
then  make  a  loop  or  two  in  the  loose  end,  by  which  I  could 
raise  myself  against  the  wall  to  the  height  of  the  said  rift, 
and  so  reach  up  to  the  loose  boards,  if  loose  they  were, 
above.  The  scheme  was  wild  enough,  but  as  I  saw  no 
better  I  began  at  once  to  put  it  into  execution. 

First  of  all  I  chose  the  longer  of  the  cords,  and  made  two 
loops  in  it  to  serve  me  as  stirrups  ;  then,  taking  a  piece  of 
the  net,  I  rolled  it  into  a  hard  ball,  about  as  big  as  I  might 
thrust  through  the  rift ;  and,  having  bound  this  about  with 
another  cord,  I  fastened  it  securely  to  my  stirrups,  with 
length  enough,  as  I  judged,  to  allow  the  ball  to  pass  through 
to  the  outer  edge  of  the  wall,  where  I  hoped  it  would 
hitch. 

When  I  had  done  this  to  my  satisfaction,  I  began  to  cast 
about  how  I  was  to  get  it  through  the  rift,  which  was  a  dif- 
ficulty I  had  not  foreseen. 

"  If  I  had  only  a  pole,"  says  I  to  myself — "  a  pole  about 
two  yards  long  !  "  But,  Lord  !  while  I  was  about  it  I 
might  just  as  well  have  wished  for  a  step-ladder  of  three 
yards  to  carry  me  at  once  into  the  cock-loft.  However, 
growing  a  little  desperate  to  find  myself  thus  baulked  for 
want  of  a  stick,  I  made  a  spring  upward,  and,  getting  my 
hand  in  the  rift,  I  contrived  to  hang  there  some  while  ;  but 
as  to  dragging  myself  up  so  that  I  could  get  my  knot 


*64          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

through  with  my  other  hand,  that  I  could  not  do,  strive  as 
1  might  ;  nor  do  I  think  it  possible  that  any  man,  though 
he  were  lusty  as  Samson,  could  have  compassed  that  bus- 
iness. 

Now  was  I  pretty  well  at  my  wits'  end  ;  yet,  being  of  a 
stubborn  nature,  I  would  not  allow  myself  to  be  beaten, 
and  still  clung  to  the  notion  of  scaling  the  wall  with  my 
precious  rope  stirrups.  But  it  was  clear  that  I  could  do 
nothing  without  some  sort  of  hold  for  my  foot  to  rest  on 
as  I  hung  from  the  rift,  and  so  once  more  I  began  to  feel 
about  the  wall  for  a  hole  to  set  my  toes  in. 

There  was  a  joint  in  the  stonework  about  four  feet  from 
the  ground,  where  the  mortar  gave  way  under  my  nail,  but 
the  crack  was  not  as  wide  as  my  finger.  However,  I  had  a 
clasp-knife  in  my  pocket,  which  Dom  Sebastian  ha  1  given 
me  (for  the  Portugals  do  never  go  about  without  such  wea- 
pons for  their  defense),  and  with  this  I  determined  to  cut 
away  the  stone  if  I  might.  So  at  it  I  went  without 
more  ado. 

I  had  scarcely  begun  this  toil  when  I  heard  some  one 
ascending  the  stairs  that  led  to  my  prison. 

"  Now,"  thinks  I,  "  am  I  undone.  For  if  they  come  in 
here  and  see  my  knotted  rope,  they  will  certainly  take  it 
from  me,  and  there  will  be  an  end  of  my  only  hope." 

The  steps  came  nearer  and  stopped  ;  then  I  heard  the 
bar  being  taken  down.  Upon  this,  with  the  hope  of  ex- 
citing fear,  I  set  up  a  most  violent  shout,  as  Jf  I  were  beside 
myself  with  rage,  and  rushing  to  the  door  beat  it  furiously 
with  my  fists  and  feet,  whereupon  there  was  a  silence  out- 
side, as  if  the  fellow  was  considering  whether  he  had  not 
best  leave  me  alone  for  the  present ;  and  that  he  had  come 
to  this  conclusion  was  made  evident  presently  by  his  clap- 
ping up  the  bar  again.  After  this  I  heard  a  shuffling  on  the 
ground,  and  the  next  minute  his  steps,  as  he  descended 
the  stairs. 

I  was  mightily  pleased  with  myself  at  the  success  of  my 
stratagem,  and,  going  back  to  the  wall,  set  to  work  again 
at  cutting  the  stone  with  my  knife. 

I  ground  and  scraped  till  the  blade  of  my  knife  was  as 
hot  as  fire,  but  when  I  examined  the  stone  with  my  finger, 
to  see  if  the  hole  were  anything  like  big  enough  yeL  I 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  205 

found  that  I  had  made  no  perceptible  difference  in  it  what- 
ever, which  did  so  vex  me  that  I  was  ready  to  tear  my  hair, 
or  commit  any  other  extravagance.  Then,  casting  my  eyes 
at  the  wall  where  the  light  from  the  rift  fell,  I  was  terrified 
to  observe  how  the  shadow  had  shifted  since  I  first  began, 
so  that  I  concluded  it  must  be  getting  towards  sundown, 
by  which  I  reckoned  I  must  have  been  four  or  five  hours 
at  this  business,  and  was  pretty  near  as  far  as  ever  from 
making  my  escape.  Whereupon  I  was  beset  with  a  kind 
of  rage,  and,  accusing  myself  of  indolence,  cut  again  at 
the  stone  with  redoubled  energy.  The  result  of  this  mad 
haste  was  that  the  blade  of  my  knife  snapped  in  half 
before  I  had  worked  a  couple  of  minutes.  Then  I  flung 
it  down  on  the  ground,  and,  resting  my  arm  against  the 
wall,  I  laid  my  face  there,  and  could  have  wept  for  vex- 
ation. 

But  this  was  not  to  be  endured  for  any  time.  Glancing 
again  at  the  wall,  it  seemed  to  me  the  shadow  had  traveled 
a  foot  further. 

"  Every  moment,"  says  I  to  myself,  "  puts  my  lady 
further  from  me.  Coward  or  fool  !  are  you  content  to  do 
nothing  ?  Will  you  give  up  the  hope  of  saving  her  because 
of  a  trifle  ?  Have  you  no  more  heart  and  hardihood  than 
this  ? " 

With  this,  I  picked  up  my  knife  again,  and  finding  yet  a 
couple  of  inches  left  of  the  blade,  I  once  more  set  to  work, 
but  with  more  prudence.  Yet  every  now  and  then  would 
I  turn  to  watch  the  shadow,  saying  to  myself,  "  Now  she  is 
a  league  further  away — she  has  been  carried  a  full  mile 
since  last  I  looked,"  etc. 

Sometimes  my  heart  would  grow  heavy  as  stone  with  des- 
pair, as  I  noted  the  little  effect  I  made  ;  and  then,  that  I 
might  not  lose  courage,  I  would  not  feel  what  progress  1 
had  made,  but  ground  on  steadily,  like  the  movement  of  a 
clock.  But,  though  I  did  not  tax  my  strength,  the  sweat 
streamed  down  my  face  and  body,  so  that  my  shirt  clung 
cold  to  my  body  with  the  wet  from  my  skin,  by  reason  of 
my  anxiety. 

After  a  while,  when  the  light  was  sensibly  fading,  a  faint- 
ness  came  upon  me,  and  I  felt  dried  up  with  thirst.  Rest- 
ing for  strength  to  come,  I  bethought  me  that  perhaps  my 


206  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

jailer  had  no  intention  but  to  give  me  food  when  he  came 
to  the  door.  Then  the  hope  led  me  to  think  that  perhaps 
he  had  come  back  softly,  and,  hearing  no  sound,  had  ven- 
tured to  open  the  door  quietly,  and  slip  a  pitcher  of  water 
within  for  my  comfort. 

I  went  to  the  door,  and,  groping  on  the  ground  (for  in 
that  part  it  was  very  dark),  I  laid  my  hand  on  a  loose  piece 
of  paper.  It  occurred  to  me  in  an  instant  (so  quickly  do 
our  wishes  summon  conjecture)  that  Lady  Biddy  had  found 
means  to  send  me  a  message,  and  that  the  man  who  was 
charged  with  it,  fearing  to  enter,  had  slid  it  beneath  the 
door,  which  explained  the  shuffling  sound  I  had  heard  be 
fore  he  went  down. 

I  rushed  back  with  the  precious  treasure,  and,  holding  it 
as  near  the  light  from  the  rift  as  I  could,  read  the  inscription 
on  the  outside  :  "  To  my  dear  Cousin  Benet." 

And  then,  laughing  like  a  fool  for  joy,  I  claps  it  to  my 
mouth  and  kisses  it. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

HOW    I    WAS  LED  ON    BY  PASSION  TO   CUT    A   MAN*S  THROAT. 

AS  soon  as  I  had  got  the  better  of  my  ecstasy,  I  held  the 
letter  again  up  to  the  light,  yet  could  not  make  out  one 
word  of  it,  for  the  tears  of  gladness  in  my  eyes.  How- 
ever, I  brushed  these  away  with  my  hand  impatiently,  and 
so  held  the  letter  up  again,  but  still  with  the  knife  in  my 
hand,  for  I  was  now  more  eager  than  ever  to  accomplish 
my  design  and  overtake  my  lady,  who,  I  doubted  not,  had 
writ  me  some  comforting  words  to  let  me  know  how  I 
might  best  come  at  her.  And  now,  my  eyes  being  clear,  I 
read  her  letter,  which  I  can  repeat  word  for  word  ;  for, 
sure,  I  read  it  a  hundred  times,  and  each  word  did  engrave 
itself  into  my  memory. 

"  We  are  overtaken,"  the  letter  began,  "  by  soldiers 
charged  to  carry  us  back  to  Castello  Lagos,  and  surrender 
us  into  the  hands  of  Rodrigues.  To  save  me  from  such  a 
fate,  which  was  worse  than  death  tenfold,  Senhor  de  Pino 
has  offered  to  convey  me  to  Caracas.  I  have  tried,  but  in 
vain,  to  obtain  the  same  favor  for  you  ;  but  he  dare  not 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          to1} 

venture  upon  it.  Indeed,  he  endangers  his  own  life  in 
saving  me,  wherefore  I  look  to  you  to  support  the  story  he 
has  given  out  to  account  for  not  obeying  the  governor's 
orders  to  the  letter — to  wit,  that  I  have  perished  by  the 
way.  I  know  you  are  too  reasonable  and  too  generous  to 
bear  me  ill-will  for  abandoning  you,  for  sure  you  will  own 
I  have  no  choice  but  to  do  so.  Farewell,  Benet.  Oh,  may 
Providence  be  merciful  to  you  !  " 

When  I  had  came  to  the  end,  and  turned  it  about,  to  see 
if  there  was  not  some  little  kind  word  that  I  had  overlooked 
and  could  find  none,  the  knife  dropped  from  my  hand  ;  and 
truly  all  vigor  and  power  seemed  gone  from  my  body,  so 
that  my  limbs  trembled  under  me  as  if  I  had  just  risen  from 
a  bed  of  sickness. 

Then  I  could  not  believe  I  had  read  aright,  and  so  went 
through  it  again  and  again  and  again  ;  after  that,  ponder- 
ing each  word,  to  see  if  I  could  not  make  it  appear  a  little 
better  than  it  looked. 

At  last,  when  I  could  no  longer  see  the  writing  for  want 
of  light,  I  flung  myself  prone  on  the  ground,  and  gave  my- 
self up  to  the  most  miserable  reflections  ever  man  endured. 
It  was  as  if  a  miser  had  suddenly  discovered  all  his  gold 
turned  to  fine  ashes  ;  for  no  miser  ever  prized  his  pieces 
for  their  true  ring  and  bright  lustre  more  than  I  valued 
Lady  Biddy  for  her  loyalty,  and  generous,  loving  disposition; 
and  now  I  could  find  nothing  but  heartless  ingratitude  and 
careless  cruelty  in  her  nature,  to  abandon  me  thus,  with- 
out a  word  of  regret  or  comfort.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  her 
chief  end  in  writing  was  to  obtain  security  for  herself  and 
Lewis  de  Pino,  by  persuading  me  to  support  the  story  of 
her  death  ;  and  with  such  a  cold,  cruel  heart,  to  invoke  the 
mercy  of  Providence  towards  me  was  nothing  but  hypocrisy, 
with  a  taint  of  blasphemy. 

"  Had  she  studied  to  crush  the  love  out  of  my  heart  she 
could  not  have  writ  more  unkindly,"  says  I  to  myself.  Then 
it  came  to  my  mind  that  this  cruelty  was  studied  to  that  end, 
in  order  that  my  passion  might  not  give  me  the  power  to 
escape  and  rejoin  her.  And  the  more  I  thought  of  this,  the 
more  likely  it  appeared.  "  She  has  Lewis  de  Pino,"  says  I, 
grinding  my  teeth  in  rage,  "  and  has  no  further  need  of  me." 

Then  I  cursed  her  for  a  cruel,  unkind  jade,  and  would 


*o8  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

try  to  think  I  was  well  rid  of  such  a  baggage — that  all 
women  were  false  alike  for  fools  and  boys  to  love,  and  fit 
only  to  be  treated  as  men  like  Rodrigues  treated  them. 
"  They  make  sport,"  says  I,  "  of  those  who  are  fond  enough 
to  love  them,  and  kiss  the  hand  of  a  cruel,  hardened  wretch 
like  Lewis  de  Pino.  'Tis  the  trick  of  a  dog  who  snaps  at 
loving  children  who  would  caress  it,  and  cringes  before  the 
tyrant  who  spurns  it  with  his  foot.  Fear  not  that  I  shall 
seek  to  separate  you  from  your  lord — no,  not  though  I  saw 
him  lift  the  whip  to  flog  you  as  he  would  another  slave.  I 
trust  no  woman  again  ;  the  friendship  of  Rodrigues  is  more 
stanch  and  loyal.  I  have  done  all  a  man  could  do  in  pro- 
portion to  his  means  for  the  love  of  a  woman  ;  but  I  have 
come  to  an  end  of  my  folly.  My  body  shall  shed  its  blood 
no  more  for  you — no,  nor  my  heart  a  tear.  And  yet," 
thinks  I,  my  rage  abating  as  I  perceived  how  dreary  and 
barren  my  life  must  henceforth  be,  which  seemed,  as  I 
looked  back  on  it,  to  be  all  strewn  with  flowers  and  glad- 
dened with  sunshine — "  yet,  in  truth,  I  do  wish  you  had 
died  before  you  writ  that  letter.  Would  that  I  could  yet 
treasure  that  tender  joy  of  love  for  you  that  has  made  a 
fool  of  me  !  Ay,  would  that  you  had  died  ere  I  knew  you 
worthless,  while  I  yet  thought  you  ail  that  was  beautiful 
and  good  and  kind  !  'Twould  have  broke  my  heart  to  have 
lost  you  then  ;  but  better  'tis  to  live  with  ever-abiding 
sorrow  for  such  loss  than  to  find  nothing  in  the  world  to 
weep  for." 

In  this  fashion  did  I  pass  from  one  fit  to  another — from 
rage  to  regret,  from  bitter  hate  to  tender  grief — till  the  stars 
shone  brightly  through  the  rifts  above  ;  but  they  came  into 
sight  and  passed  away,  marking  the  growing  hours,  without 
my  heeding  any  longer  the  increasing  distance  between 
Lady  Biddy  and  me  ;  nor  did  I  once  think  to  make  my 
escape.  She  was  gone  from  me  forever,  and  with  her  all 
my  hopes  and  anxiety.  I  gave  no  thought  as  to  what  would 
happen  on  the  morrow,  or  what  my  fate  would  be  when 
Rodrigues  got  me  again  into  his  hands.  If  I  had  thought 
of  it  I  should  have  welcomed  the  prospect  of  death  itself 
even  by  the  worst  torture  his  cruel  nature  could  devise. 

Lady  Biddy  had  appealed  to  my  generosity  and  reason, 
but  I  had  neither  one  nor  the  other,  else  had  I  perhaps 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          209 

brought  myself  to  see  that,  after  all,  she  had  done  no  more 
than  I  should  have  bid  her  do  if  her  fate  had  been  in  my 
hands.  Could  I  have  consented  to  her  being  carried  back 
with  me  to  Rodrigues  ?  No  !  not  though  the  alternative 
was  to  yield  her  to  the  mercy  of  Lewis  de  Pino.  Then  why 
was  I  so  put  about  because  she  had  done  that  which  I  would 
have  had  her  do  ?  Simply  because  she  had  not  paid  me  the 
compliment  to  ask  my  advice  ?  There  may  have  been  no 
time  to  appeal  to  my  decision  ;  she  may,  as  she  said,  have 
depended  on  my  good  judgment  to  accept  what  was  inevit- 
able. These  and  many  other  arguments  I  could  urge,  never 
occurred  to  me  then,  for  my  reason  was  undone. 

As  I  lay  there  on  the  ground  with  that  passionate  turmoil 
in  my  breast,  with  my  eyes  turned  away  from  the  stars  that 
seemed  to  look  down  on  me  through  the  night  with  a  sweet, 
still  sorrow  that  made  my  pain  the  more  hard  to  endure,  I 
saw  a  streak  of  light  between  the  door  and  the  footsill,  and 
presently  heard  the  bar  being  taken  down  very  carefully, 
but  after  a  pause,  as  if  assurance  were  being  made  that  I 
was  not  astir. 

"  They  are  come  to  murder  me  in  my  sleep,"  thinks  I ; 
"  is  this  the  mercy  she  prayed  Providence  to  bestow  on  me, 
or  did  she  pray  that  mercy  of  Lewis  de  Pino?" 

The  bar  being  down,  first  one  bolt  grated  slowly  in  the 
socket,  and  then  the  other. 

"  Now,"  thinks  I,  "  will  they  come  upon  me  cautiously,  or 
will  they  do  it  with  a  sudden  rush  ? " 

But  so  little  count  did  I  make  of  my  life  that  I  did  not 
stir  nor  take  my  arm  from  under  my  head. 

The  door  creaked  slowly  on  its  hinges,  and  I  saw  the  wall 
beyond  through  the  widening  opening,  and  a  lantern  set 
upon  the  ground.  Then  a  great  shock  head  came  athwart 
the  opening,  dark  against  the  light  on  the  wall  ;  and  after 
peering  in  for  a  minute  or  so  without  seeing  anything  (for 
I  lay  far  back  in  the  dark),  or  hearing  any  movement,  the 
man  ventured  in  a  little  further,  so  that  his  figure  blocked 
out  the  light  still  more  ;  and  thus  he  stood  another  minute, 
turning  his  head  this  way  and  that,  as  if  to  make  sure  I 
was  not  hidden  against  the  wall,  ready  to  spring  on  him. 
Then  he  draws  back  and  picks  up  something  which  stood 
behind  the  door  with  his  left  hand,  and  then  the  lantern 


210          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

with  his  right,  and,  stepping  sideways  and  very  gingerly 
past  the  door,  he  comes  into  my  chamber,  so  that  I  could 
see  he  carried  in  his  left  hand  a  pitcher,  and  under  that 
arm  a  little  bundle. 

"  So,"  thinks  I,  "  it  is  to  bring  my  food,  and  not  to 
murder  me,  the  fellow  has  come.  Tis  all  the  same  to  me. 
I  would  as  soon  have  his  knife  as  his  food  in  me." 

Setting  down  the  pitcher  and  the  bundle,  he  lifts  the 
lantern  high  and  looks  about ;  but  not  seeing  me  for  the 
shadow  where  I  lay,  and  the  feeble  light  of  his  candle,  he 
puts  up  his  hand,  and,  shoving  his  hat  on  one  side,  scratches 
his  head,  as  if  perplexed  to  know  where  I  had  got  to.  Then 
moving  a  couple  of  steps  forward  on  his  toes,  he  holds  up 
the  lantern  again  and  peers  around,  and  then,  getting  a 
glimpse  of  me,  gives  a  nod  of  satisfaction,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "  Oh,  you're  there  after  all,  are  you  ? "  and  so  he  comes 
forward  again  towards  me,  but  very  cautiously  setting  down 
the  lantern  and  turning  the  door  of  it  towards  me,  that  the 
light  might  not  fall  upon  my  eyes. 

And  now  the  idea  seized  me  of  a  sudden  that  I  might 
throw  this  fellow  down  and  make  my  escape,  whilst  a  wicked 
longing  for  vengeance  burnt  up  my  heart.  I  know  not 
what  bloody  design  lay  at  the  bottom  of  my  purpose,  but  I 
made  up  my  mind  I  would  escape  and  overtake  Lady  Biddy, 
though  she  was  in  the  furthest  corner  of  the  earth.  So 
with  the  cunning  of  a  villain  I  closed  my  eyes,  that  the  fel- 
low might  not  see  by  their  glitter  I  was  awake  (yet  not  so 
close  but  that  I  could  watch  him  well),  in  order  that  he 
might  get  near  to  me  before  I  sprang  at  him. 

He  seemed  to  have  some  ill  forecast  of  my  design,  for 
more  than  once  he  stopped  betwixt  the  lantern  and  me  to 
scratch  his  head  and  consider  of  his  safety.  However,  he 
ventures  within  about  a  couple  of  feet  of  me,  and  then  squatt- 
ing down  reaches  out  his  arm,  as  if  he  would  wake  me  to  let 
me  know  he  had  brought  food  for  my  use.  And  though 
this  was  a  kindly  office,  deserving  of  a  better  return  (for  I 
took  no  heed  of  it  because  of  the  devilish  wickedness  in  my 
heart),  I  suddenly  caught  hold  of  his  extended  arm,  and, 
giving  it  a  sharp  jerk,  threw  him  on  his  side. 

Seeing  a  knife  in  his  belt,  I  bethought  me  I  would  cut  his 
throat,  and  so  save  myself  from  pursuit,  for  there  is  no  vile 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  2H 

murder  a  man  will  stop  short  of  when  he  gives  up  his  soul 
to  the  fiend  of  vengeance  ;  and  this  purpose  came  so  sud- 
denly to  my  mind  (even  as  he  was  rolling  over,  and  the 
handle  of  his  knife  caught  a  ray  of  light  from  the  lantern) 
that  I  had  no  time  to  consider  what  I  was  about.  In  a 
moment  I  had  sprung  up,  and  set  my  knee  in  his  flank,  and 
grasping  him  by  his  ragged  shock  of  hair  with  my  left 
hand,  so  that  I  drew  his  head  back  between  his  shoulders,  I 
whipped  out  his  knife  with  my  right. 

Surely  in  another  moment  I  should  have  cut  his  throat, 
but  that  just  then,  raising  his  voice  as  well  as  he  could  for 
his  position,  he  cries  out,  in  very  good  English — 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,  would  you  murder  your  own 
countryman  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XL. 

I  FIND  AN  EXCELLENT  FRIEND  IN  PLACE  OF  A  CRUEL  ENEMY. 

HEARING  these  words,  I  held  my  hand  for  amazement, 
though  the  knife  was  within  a  span  of  his  throat.  In 
that  instant  it  came  across  my  mind  that  the  letter 
which  had  so  distracted  me  was  not  of  Lady  Biddy's 
writing.  I  had  not  hitherto  questioned  this  matter  ;  for, 
firstly,  I  knew  not  her  hand  ;  and,  secondly,  neither  Lewis 
de  Pino  nor  any  one  else  we  had  met  since  our  coming  on 
these  shores  had  comprehended  one  word  of  our  language. 
The  letter  was  badly  writ  in  a  large  and  painful  hand,  but 
that  might  have  been  owing  to  ill  accommodation  for 
writing  ;  and,  indeed,  I  had  not  regarded  the  manner  of  it, 
but  only  the  matter.  But  now,  hearing  this  fellow  speak 
in  English,  it  did,  as  I  say,  cross  my  mind  that  he  had 
penned  it. 

This  took  no  longer  to  present  itself  to  my  intelligence 
than  a  flash  of  a  musket. 

"  Fellow,"  says  I  hoarsely,  "  was  it  you  that  wrote  that 
letter  to  me." 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  with  a  plague  to  it ;  for  if  I  had  not 
writ  it  I  should  not  have  got  into  this  mess." 

Whereupon  I  flung  aside  the  knife,  and,  laying  hold  of 
his  two  hands,  could  have  kissed  him  for  my  great  delight, 


812  THE   ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

despite  the  suffering  I  had  endured  through  his  handi- 
work. 

Then  I  covered  my  face  with  my  hands  for  shame  to 
think  how  I  had  wronged  that  pure  sweet  girl  by  leaping  so 
qnickly  to  an  evil  opinion  of  her  ;  and  to  think  she  might 
have  so  fallen  away  from  a  noble  condition,  I  burst  out  with 
tears,  and  sobbed  like  any  child  ;  and  from  that  to  think 
that  she  had  not  fallen  away,  and  was  still  the  same  dear 
woman  I  had  thought  her,  I  fell  to  laughing  ;  and,  spring- 
ing to  my  feet,  cut  a  caper  in  the  air  like  a  very  fool,  and 
might  have  proceeded  to  further  extravagances  in  my  de- 
lirium but  that  my  good  angel  (as  I  dubbed  the  fellow), 
laying  his  hands  on  me  whispered  : 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  master,  contain  yourself  a  bit,  or  I 
shan't  come  out  of  this  business  with  a  whole  skin  yet.  I 
doubt  but  you  have  waked  some  of  the  cursed  Portugals  by 
your  antics." 

With  this  he  creeps  over  to  the  door,  and  thrusting  his 
head  over  the  stairs  stands  there  listening  carefully  a  min- 
ute or  two  ;  after  which,  seeming  satisfied  that  no  one  was 
astir,  he  closes  the  door  gently,  and  creeps  back  to  me,  by 
which  time  I  had  come  to  a  more  sober  condition,  though 
still  near  choking  with  the  bounding  of  my  heart  and  the 
throbbing  of  the  blood  in  my  veins  for  excess  of  joy. 

"  Tis  all  quiet  below,"  says  he  in  a  whisper  ;  "but  be- 
twixt getting  my  throat  cut  by  you,  and  being  fleaed  alive 
by  the  Portugals  for  being  here,  I've  had  a  narrow  squeak. 
Howsomever,  I  suppose  you  bear  me  no  ill-will  ?  " 

"  Heaven  forgive  me  for  treating  you  as  an  enemy  ! " 
says  I,  grasping  his  hand  again. 

"  As  for  that,"  says  he,  "  I  don't  blame  you  for  your 
intent  to  stick  me  if  you  thought  I  was  one  of  those  accur- 
sed Portugals  ;  and  how  were  you  to  know  better,  finding 
me  crawling  on  you  in  their  own  manner.  Let  us  drink  a 
dram,  master,  to  our  better  acquaintance  ;  'twill  stiffen  our 
legs  and  clear  our  heads,  and  mine  are  all  of  a  jelly-shake 
with  this  late  bout." 

"  Where  is  my  cousin  ? "  I  asked  him,  as  he  was  drinking 
from  the  jar. 

"  That's  good,"  says  he,  taking  the  jar  from  his  mouth 
and  handing  it  to  me.  "  Take  a  pull  at  it — asking  your 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  213 

pardon  for  drinking  first,  but  I've  lost  my  good  manners 
with  twelve  years  of  slavery." 

"  My  cousin,"  says  I — "  the  lady  in  whose  name  you 
wrote  that  letter?" 

"  Drink,"  says  he.  "  We've  got  no  time  to  lose  if,  as  I 
do  hope,  you're  minded  to  get  away  from  this." 

"  Ay,"  says  I  ;  "  but  my  cousin  ? " 

"  Drink,"  says  he. 

Seeing  he  was  of  a  persistent  sort,  I  lifted  the  jar  to  my 
lips  to  cut  the  matter  short. 

"  The  female,"  says  he,  "  went  on  with  De  Pino  and  his 
train  about  ten  minutes  after  you  were  brought  up  here. 
De  Pino  made  her  believe  you  had  gone  on  ahead,  being  in 
a  strange  dull  humor,  and  she,  to  overtake  you,  hurried 
away.  Drink,"  he  adds,  seeing  me  still  with  the  jar  a  lit- 
tle from  my  lips.  So  I  drank  ;  but  betwixt  two  gulps  I 
said: 

"  They  are  still  gone  on  the  road  to  Caracas  ?  " 

"  Caracas  !  "  says  he.  "  Lord  love  you,  master  !  "  (an 
exclamation  with  which  he  larded  his  sentences  continu- 
ally), "  when  they  get  to  their  journey's  end  they  won't  be 
within  a  hundred  leagues  of  Caracas." 

"  Whither  is  he  carrying  her,  then,  in  Heaven's  name  ?  " 

"  To  Quito,  where  De  Pino  spends  his  time  when  he  is 
not  trafficking.  Lord  love  you,  master,  don't  spare  the 
liquor." 

I  drank  deeply  to  satisfy  him,  and  that  we  might  come 
more  quickly  to  the  matter  I  had  a  greater  thirst  for. 

*  Now,"  says  I,  "  tell  me  how  you  came  to  write  that 
letter." 

He  took  the  jar  out  of  my  hand  and  drank  again  in 
silence.  A  length  he  put  it  from  his  lips  with  a  gasp. 

"  Have  another  turn  ;  we  may  not  have  a  taste  of  wine 
for  many  a  long  day  hence,"  says  he. 

"  I  can  drink  no  more.  Would  to  Heaven  I  could  get 
you  to  answer  my  questions  !  " 

"  Time  enough  for  that,"  says  he,  "  when  we  get  where 
we  can  talk  above  a  pig's  whisper  with  no  fear  of  being 
heard.  Now,  master,  if  you  can  drink  no  more,  we'll  set 
about  getting  out  of  this.  We  shall  be  all  right  if  we  tread 
light,  and  don't  bungle  till  we  get  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 


314  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

There  I  must  put  out  the  lantern.  But  you  lay  hold  of  my 
shoulder  and  get  ready  for  a  bolt  if  needs  be.  Are  you  got 
a  knife  ? " 

"  No,"  says  I. 

"  Then  I  must  manage  to  get  you  one  when  we  are  be- 
low. A  couple  of  swords  won't  be  an  inconvenience  to  us, 
neither.  You  won't  have  another  dram  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  I  ;  "  and  you  have  had  enough." 

"  That's  as  may  be,"  says  he.  "  I  could  drink  a  tun  of 
it.  Howsomever,  I'll  take  it  you're  right,  so  far  as  our 
safety  is  concerned.  Now,  master,  you  take  my  knife  and 
follow  close.  Keep  your  questions  till  we  get  a  league  on 
our  way.  I'll  carry  the  lantern  and  this  bag  of  victuals, 
and  if  I'd  got  another  hand,  hang  me  if  I'd  leave  the  jar 
behind.  Here  goes,  master.  Remember,  if  we  are  caught 
we  shall  be  fleaed  alive.  Now,  then — softly  does  it !  Not 
a  word !  " 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

A     DISCOURSE     WITH     MY     NEW-FOUND     FRIEND     MATTHEW 
PENNYFARDEN. 

WHEN  we  got  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  my  comrade  put 
out  the  light,  and  I,  laying  my  hand   on  his  shoulder, 
as  he  bade  me,  followed  softly  at  his  heels  in  the 
dark  for  some  paces,  when  we  came  to  a  door  that  stood 
ajar.     Here  he  paused  and  peered   out  carefully  ;    then, 
pushing  the  door  open,  he  passed  out  into  the  open. 

He  gave  me  the  bag  of  food  to  hold,  lifted  up  his  finger 
as  a  sign  to  me  to  wait  there,  and  then  entered  ^he  tower 
again  by  another  door  in  that  part  where  the  guard  lay  ; 
and  so  I  stood,  with  the  drawn  knife  in  my  hand  and  my 
eyes  on  the  lookout  for  a  foe,  till  he  returned  with  a  sword 
in  each  hand  and  a  knife  stuck  in  his  belt.  He  seemed  to 
have  been  gone  an  age,  but  I  believe  he  was  no  more  than 
ten  minutes  at  the  outside  ;  but  I  was  consumed  with  im- 
patience. 

He  put  one  of  the  swords  in  my  hand,  and  signed  to  me 
to  follow.  Then  we  threaded  our  way  betwixt  the  tower 
and  the  huts,  and  coming  to  the  end  of  a  little  alley  he 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          215 

again  peers  out  into  the  space  beyond,  first  to  the  right  and 
then  to  the  left,  very  carefully,  and  seeing  no  one  (for  the 
Portugals  here-  lay  within  doors  because  there  was  no  turf, 
as  in  the  other  stations,  but  only  hard,  rocky  ground),  he 
nudged  me  with  his  elbow  and  struck  out  pretty  briskly  to 
the  gate  he  had  previously  set  ajar,  which  we  passed,  and 
so  got  out  without  discovery,  to  our  great  comfort. 

Our  road  lay  up  the  hills  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley, 
and  a  rough  and  troublesome  way  it  was  by  reason  of  the 
loose  stones  and  deep  holes  which  in  certain  parts,  where 
the  rocks  shut  out  the  light  of  the  stars  on  either  hand, 
were  like  so  many  pitfalls.  Yet  I  was  too  light  of  heart  to 
heed  the  bruising  of  my  shins  a  farthing,  though  my  com- 
rade did  curse  prodigiously,  spite  of  his  saying  he  would 
not  speak  for  a  league,  as  I  have  told. 

When  we  had  gone  about  an  hour,  my  comrade,  as  I  call 
him,  after  coming  nigh  to  break  his  neck  over  a  rock,  sits 
him  down  on  a  rock,  saying  we  might  now  well  afford  to 
fetch  our  breath  and  rub  our  shins  for  a  space.  So  now, 
sitting  down  beside  him,  I  begged  he  would  loose  his 
tongue  to  satisfy  my  earnest  anxiety. 

"  Well,"  says  he  with  a  sigh,  "  I  am  not  used  to  this  busi- 
ness, and  'tis  a  long  story.  Howsomever,  as  you  desire  it, 
here  goes.  My  name  is  Matthew  Pennyfarden,  and  I  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Newlyn,  near  Penzance,  in  Cornwall, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  five  hundred  and 
ninety-four." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  you  may  skip  thirty-three  years  of  your 
adventures,  and  come  to  what  took  place  when,  you  first 
saw  my  cousin,  Lady  Biddy  Fane." 

"Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he,  "that  simplifies  the 
job  vastly  "  (he  was  a  sly  rogue  of  some  humor).  "  Well, 
then,  you  must  know  that  when  I  came  to  the  station  yes- 
terday afternoon  with  four  other  slaves,  burdened  with 
gold  muck  from  that  part  of  the  valley  where  the  mines  lie, 
our  factor  tells  me  that  the  merchant  Senhor  de  Pino  would 
speak  with  me  ;  whereupon  I  goes  to  the  factor's  office 
with  him,  and  there  De  Pino  asks  me  if  I  could  write  Eng- 
lish and  would  earn  a  jar  of  wine  ;  to  which  I  made  reply 
that  I  could  do  the  one  as  readily  as  I  would  the  other, 
seeing  I  was  two  years  an  attorney's  clerk  before  I  was  so 


2i6          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

foolish  as  to  quit  my  employ  and  run  away  to  sea,  and  was 
now  as  dry  as  any  limekiln.  On  this  he  sets  me  down  be- 
fore a  table,  with  an  inkhorn  and  a  sheet  of  paper  for  my 
work,  and  tells  me  in  his  own  tongue  what  he  would  have 
writ  in  mine.  When  I  had  done  this,  he  goes  over  the  wri- 
ting with  me  a  dozen  times,  questioning  as  to  this  word  and 
doubting  as  to  that,  scratching  out  here  and  writing  in 
there,  till  we  could  find  no  further  room  for  improvement, 
when  he  gives  me  a  fresh  sheet  of  paper  and  has  it  all  writ 
out  again  for  fair.  So,  having  come  to  an  end  of  the  busi- 
ness, he  orders  the  factor  to  give  me  a  jar  of  wine,  as  he 
had  promised,  and  send  me  back  to  the  mine.  Now  a  man 
can  not  serve  the  devil  without  learning  the  smell  of  brim- 
stone, and  I  had  been  long  enough  with  my  attorney  to  get 
a  pretty  keen  scent  for  mischief  ;  wherefore,  as  I  went 
back  to  my  accursed  mine,  turning  this  affair  over  in  my 
mind,  I  came  to  a  pretty  fair  understanding  of  what  lay  at 
the  bottom  of  this  letter-writing.  Yet,  to  make  sure,  I 
turns  out  of  my  way  (being  alone,  for  the  rest  had  gone 
back  with  their  empty  baskets  while  I  was  writing  the 
letter) — I  goes  about,  I  say,  to  sneak  up  among  the  rocks 
to  where  I  could  get  a  fair  view  of  the  station  without 
being  seen.  There  I  had  just  posted  myself  when  I  see 
the  Portugals  bearing  a  man  tied  up  neck  and  crop  to  the 
guardhouse,  and  says  I  to  myself,  '  That's  Cousin  Pengilly, 
or  I'm  a  Dutchman.'  When  you  were  clapped  up  and  the 
Portugals  had  come  back  from  the  guardhouse,  the  mules 
were  brought  out  and  packed,  and  one  part  of  the  train  was 
sent  on,  while  the  other  waited  in  readiness  to  start,  which 
perplexed  me  somewhat  till  ten  minutes  later,  when  a 
female  was  led  out  by  De  Pino  and  seated  on  a  mule,  and 
that  part  of  the  cavalcade  set  out  pretty  briskly,  as  if  to 
overtake  the  other.  Then  I  hit  upon  it  that  De  Pino  had 
practiced  this  stratagem  to  make  your  cousin  believe  you 
had  gone  on  first,  and  hasten  her  departure  from  the 
station.  But  I  pray  you,  master,"  says  he,  breaking  off 
and  opening  the  bag  of  victuals,  "  do  pick  a  bit,  for  I 
warrant  you  have  had  nothing  betwixt  your  lips  since  you 
was  clapped  up — have  you,  now  ?  " 

"  You  are  right,"  says  I,  falling  to  with  a  relish  ;  "but 
go  on." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          2*7 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  I  guessed  as  much.  They  served  me 
that  same  way  when  I  first  came  into  captivity,  starving  me 
till  I  was  too  weak  to  make  resistance,  and  glad  enough  to 
accept  the  work  of  a  slave  that  I  might  fill  my  belly.  And 
surely  that  was  the  fate  they  intended  for  you.  And  this 
did  put  me  in  mind  not  to  touch  a  drop  of  the  wine,  lest  a 
taste  might  tempt  me  to  drink  all,  but  to  leave  it  hid  up  in 
that  rock  and  go  back  to  my  work  dry,  and  also  to  set 
aside  my  supper  when  it  was  served  out  to  us  at  sunset." 

"  Good  Heavens  !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  no  wonder  you  drank 
so  heartily  when  we  were  in  the  tower." 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  I  overcame  the  flesh  as  long  as  I  could, 
but  I  could  hold  out  no  longer." 

"  And  you  have  fasted  full  as  long  as  I  have,  by  the  same 
token,"  says  I. 

"You've  hit  it  again,"  says  he  ;  "but  that  did  not  call 
for  such  courage  as  t'other,  for  I  would  rather  fast  a  whole 
day  than  go  dry  an  hour." 

This  fellow's  generosity  touched  my  heart,  and  I  would 
not  eat  another  morsel,  nor  let  him  speak,  till  he  had  eaten 
his  fair  share  of  the  food.  And  now  I  saw  why  he  had 
been  so  loth  to  begin  a  long  history  with  the  bag  of  victuals 
untouched. 

When  we  had  come  to  the  end  of  our  meal,  my  comrade 
proposed  we  should  move  on  ;  "  for,"  says  he,  "  I  care  not 
how  I  knock  my  ribs  against  the  rock  now  that  I  have 
something  within  me  to  resist  the  shock." 

When  we  had  got  on  our  way  again,  and  were  come  to  a 
fairly  level  part  of  the  road  where  we  could  converse  with- 
out inconvenience,  I  asked  my  comrade  if  there  was  any 
truth  in  that  letter  concerning  soldiery  being  sent  by  Dom 
Sebastian  to  recover  us. 

"  Lord  love  you  ! "  says  he,  "  not  a  word  ;  'twas  all  a 
plan  of  De  Pino's  invention.  But  tell  me,  master,  how  you 
came  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  such  a  villain." 

When  I  told  him  briefly  my  history,  he  considers  awhile, 
and  then  says  he  : 

"  You  have  naught  to  fear  from  Sebastian  ;  for  though 
he  is  as  treacherous  as  any  other  Portugal,  and  not  one  of 
them  is  a  true  man,  yet  have  these  rogues  a  certain  kind 
of  fair  dealing  amongst  themselves,  and  having  sold  you  to 


2i8  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

De  Pino  he  would  not  go  back  on  his  bargain,  though 
Rodrigues  should  offer  twice  as  much  to  get  you  back  as 
Dom  Sebastian  received  for  parting  with  you." 

"Then,"  says  I,  "you  believe  Dom  Sebastian  sold  us  to 
De  Pino?" 

"  I  am  as  certain  of  that  as  I  am  that  De  Pino  sold  you 
to  our  factor." 

"  And  how  are  you  certain  of  that,  my  friend  ?  "  says  I. 

"  Because  he  did  not  stick  his  dagger  into  you  when  you 
were  asleep.  But  for  his  avarice,  you  would  not  be  alive 
now,  you  may  be  sure.  A  pretty  taking  our  factor  will  be 
in  when  we  find  you  flown  ;  'tis  as  good  as  twenty  pieces  of 
eight  out  of  his  pocket.  We  must  look  to  it,  master,  that 
he  doesn't  catch  us,  for  certain  it  is  he  will  hunt  us." 

"  What  would  he  do  if  he  caught  us  ? " 

"  You  might  get  off  with  a  flogging  and  a  pretty  long 
spell  of  starvation  ;  but  he'd  flea  me,  as  he  has  before  ; 
and  once  is  enough  for  a  lifetime,  as  you  would  agree  if 
you  knew  what  it  was  like." 

"  You  have  spoken  before  of  this  fleaing,"  says  I  ;  "  what 
do  you  mean  ? " 

"  If  there  was  light  I  would  show  you  my  back  for  a  sign. 
I've  had  a  piece  of  skin  stripped  off  my  body  an  ell  long  and 
an  inch  wide." 

"  Good  God  !  "  says  I,  "  is  such  barbarity  possible  ?  " 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  and  worse.  I'll  be  fleaed  rather 
than  have  the  soles  of  my  feet  roasted  if  he  gives  me  my 
choice." 

Only  to  hear  of  this  wickedness  made  me  sick,  and  I 
could  say  nothing  for  some  minutes. 

"  Tell  me,  Matthew,"  says  I,  when  I  had  got  over  my 
qualm,  "  why  you  risked  such  a  fearful  punishment  to  liber- 
ate a  man  you  had  never  seen  ?  " 

"  Because  you  was  an  Englishman,"  says  he  stoutly. 
"  Lord  love  you,  master,  I  knew  I  should  find  you  a  true 
man  and  a  kind  friend." 

"  But,"  says  I,  "  couldn't  you  as  well  have  made  your 
escape  without  me  as  with  me  ? " 

"  No,"  says  he,  "  for  I'd  as  leave  hang  myself  on  a  tree 
ere  I  started  as  be  brought  to  that  end  by  the  misery  of 
wandering  alone  in  the  woods.  Look  you,  master,  afore 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  219 

you  go  any  further,"  stopping  me,  "  there's  time  to  get  back 
to  the  station,  and  return  to  the  guard-house,  while  the 
Portugals  are  still  in  a  log-sleep,  and  I  would  have  you  un- 
derstand what  escape  means.  It  means  hardships,  and  suf- 
fering, and  solitude.  We  daren't  go  near  a  town,  for  fear 
of  the  Portugals  ;  and  we  daren't  go  near  the  Indian  vil- 
lages, for  every  white  man  is  hated  by  them,  with  a  very 
good  reason.  There's  fleaing  on  one  hand,  and  death  on 
the  other ;  and  we've  got  to  live  betwixt  'em  as  best  we 
may.  Take  time  for  reflection  and  choose  without  concern 
for  me." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "it  needs  no  reflection  to  choose  between 
freedom  and  slavery  ";  and  taking  him  by  the  hand,  I  drew 
him  onwards. 

"  You  are  an  Englishman,  master,  and  I  love  you,"  says 
he,  "  and  I  shall  love  you  still  more  when  your  hair  grows 
a  bit,  and  you  look  less  like  a  Portugal  ;  for  I  do  loathe  the 
very  resemblance  of  those  accursed  men." 

"  Surely,"  says  I,  "  there  must  be  some  good  men 
amongst  them  ? " 

"  Not  to  my  knowledge,"  says  he.  "  There  was  one  that 
I  thought  a  decent  sort  of  a  fellow  ;  and  he  grumbling  every 
day  to  me  of  his  estate,  which  was  little  better  than  a  slave's, 
I  opened  to  him  a  design  for  escaping  together.  He  be- 
trayed me  ;  for  he  was  naught  but  a  spy  set  to  that  purpose 
by  our  factor,  who  would  test  me.  And  so  I  got  fleaed  for 
trusting  a  Portugal ;  but  I  trust  none  henceforth.  As 
for  that,"  adds  he,  "  we  shall  have  no  need  to  trust  'em,  for 
we  two  shall  be  company  enough  for  each  other,  I  war- 
rant." 

"  We  two  ? "  says  I ;  "  nay,  we  shall  be  three." 

"  As  how  ? "  says  he. 

"  Why,"  says  I,  "  are  we  not  on  our  road  to  rescue  my 
cousin  from  the  hands  of  Lewis  de  Pino  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  he,  stopping  again  ;  "  that  are  we  not.  For 
we're  giving  De  Pino  as  wide  a  berth  as  I  can  contrive. 
Our  factor  will  set  out  on  that  path  as  soon  as  he  finds  you 
flown." 

"  Friend,"  says  I,  "  'tis  for  you  to  choose  betwixt  going 
on  with  me  to  the  rescue  of  my  cousin  or  taking  me  back 
to  the  station." 


220          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

He  tilted  his  hat  forwards,  and,  scratching  his  head, 
was  silent  a  minute  ;  then,  in  a  grumbling  kind  of  voice,  he 
says  : 

"  What  a  plague  do  we  want  with  a  female  ?  " 

"  Would  you  suffer  her  to  go  into  slavery  ? "  says  I. 

"  They  like  it,"  says  he  sullenly.  "  Not  at  first,  but  after 
a  bit.  She'll  be  treated  well,  and  I  count  she  won't  thank 
you  from  taking  her  away  from  a  fine  house  and  rich  gowns 
to  wander  about  in  the  woods  without  a  roof  to  her  head  or 
a  whole  rag  to  her  back." 

"  Nor  matter  for  that,"  says  I  ;  "  she  shall  be  taken  out 
of  the  Portugal's  hands  if  I  live." 

"Well,"  says  he,  a  little  more  cheerfully,  "  if  it  is  to  rob 
the  Portugal,  I  shall  be  less  loth  ;  and  to  oblige  you,  more 
willing.  We  must  turn  back,  howsomever,  to  those  horrid 
rocks  again." 

We  turned  about,  and  retraced  our  steps  in  silence  for  a 
while. 

"  Don't  take  it  amiss,  master,"  says  he  presently,  "  if  I'm  a 
little  bit  downhearted  at  the.prospect  of  having  a  lady's  so- 
ciety ;  but  I've  had  so  much  of  that  sort  of  thing  these  last 
ten  years  that  I  shouldn't  be  sorry  if  I  never  saw  another 
female." 

"  How's  that  ?  "  says  I. 

"Why,  master,"  says  he,  "  I'm  married." 

"  And  you  can  quit  your  wife  without  regret  ?"  says  I. 

"It  ain't  a  wife  I'm  quitting  without  regret,"  says  he  ; 
"  it's  twenty  or  thirty." 

I  asked  him  to  explain  this  matter  ;  which  he  did  forth- 
with, telling  me  that  all  the  slaves  in  those  mines  were 
women,  and  that  when  one  wounded  herself,  or  fell  sick  by 
overwork,  so  that  to  save  her  life  it  was  necessary  she  should 
lay  up  for  a  time,  she  was  forthwith  married  to  him.  This 
strange  custom  perplexed  me  until  I  came  to  perceive  the 
motive. 

"  Have  you  any  children  ?  "  says  I. 

"  Children  !  "  says  he  ;  "  Lord  love  you,  I've  got  sixty  if 
I've  got  one.  But  you  can't  expect  a  father  to  be  very  par- 
tial to  his  children  when  there  so  many  of  'em.  I  give  you 
my  word,  I  don't  know  Jack  from  Jill  ;  and  they're  all 
orange-tawney." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         221 
CHAPTER  XLII. 

WE    ARE    PURSUED    BY   DOGS   AND    PORTUGALS. 

IN  this  discourse  we  retraced  our  steps,  and  crossing  the 
valley  (yet  wide  of  the  station)  we  ascended  again  that 

chain  of  hills  crossed  the  day  before ;  for  Lewis  de 
Pino,  as  I  was  now  informed  by  Matthew,  had  turned  out 
of  his  road  to  sell  me  and  traffic  for  gold  ;  and  after  a 
long  and  painful  march  we  came  about  daylight  to  the 
woods. 

Here  we  rested,  though  against  my  inclination,  being 
tormented  wifh  apprehensions  concerning  my  dear  Lady 
Biddy  ;  but  Matthew  was  pretty  nigh  spent  with  fatigue, 
having  less  strength  than  I,  and  none  of  that  terrible 
anxiety  which  pricked  me  onward.  Thus,  in  one  way  and 
another,  was  a  good  deal  of  precious  time  lost. 

When  Matthew  perceived  that  my  impatience  was  be- 
coming intolerable  to  me,  he  rose,  and  we  once  more 
pushed  on.  Yet  he  had  a  difficulty  to  keep  pace  with  me, 
and  from  time  to  time  he  would  remonstrate  at  my  pace, 
saying,  "  Not  so  fast,  master — not  so  fast ;  you  forget  that 
your  legs  are  a  quarter  of  a  yard  longer  than  mine,"  and 
the  like. 

The  road  still  skirted  the  mountains  pretty  high  up,  yet 
still  amidst  the  woods,  whence  now  and  then  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  river  shining  below,  very  sweet  and  peace- 
ful in  the  gray  light  of  the  morning. 

"  Now,  master,"  says  Matthew,  when  we  had  gone  about 
a  couple  of  leagues  along  this  road — "now  we  shall  do 
well  to  quit  this  road,  and  make  our  way  as  best  we  may 
through  the  woods  ;  for  I  reckon  we  are  getting  nigh  a 
station,  and  at  any  turn  are  likely  to  be  spied." 

Accordingly  we  struck  into  the  wood,  and  none  too  soon, 
for  ere  we  had  made  a  hundred  yards  we  were  brought  to 
a  stand  by  the  furious  barking  of  a  dog. 

"  If  we  can't  silence  that  brute  we  are  undone,"  whisper- 
ed Matthew,  "  for  they  are  trained  to  hunt  down  runaways, 
and  will  not  quit  their  quarry  till  the  huntsmen  are  come 
up  with  it." 

Presently  the  barking  ceased  for  a  minute,  and  we  heard 


222  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

the  voices  of  men  egging  the  dog  on  ;  yet  could  we  see 
neither  one  nor  the  other  for  the  thick  growth,  though 
their  cries  sounded  no  further  off  than  a  couple  of  hundred 
yards  or  so. 

"  Master,"  says  Matthew,  very  much  crestfallen, "  promise 
me  one  thing." 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "and  you  may  depend  on  it  I  will  keep 
my  word." 

He  pressed  my  hand  and  nodded  ;  then  says  he: 

"  Promise  me  that  if  I  am  taken,  and  you  see  a  chance 
to  pass  your  sword  through  me,  you  will  put  an  end  to 
my  life." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  shrinking  before  such  a  cruel  possibility, 
"  things  will  not  come  to  that  pass." 

"  Promise  me,  all  the  same,"  says  he,  very  earnestly. 

"  You  have  my  promise,  friend,"  says  I,  though  I  would 
not  have  given  it  had  I  foreseen  what  he  was  about  to  ask. 

"  Good,"  says  he.  "I  could  lose  another  ell  of  my  skin 
without  much  more  than  a  day's  howling ;  and  I  believe  I 
could  stand  having  my  feet  roasted,  after  the  first  scorch- 
ing had  taken  my  senses  away  ;  but  I  couldn't  endure  to 
be  taken  back  a  slave  and  lose  my  freedom." 

I  felt  for  the  poor  fellow  with  all  my  heart,  sympathizing 
with  his  love  of  liberty,  till  he  added,  in  a  still  more  melan- 
choly tone  : 

"  I  am  not  a  family  man." 

Then  I  felt  as  if  I  must  laugh,  despite  our  peril,  for  it 
appeared  that  he  dreaded  being  restored  to  his  wives  and 
children  more  than  all  the  tortures  the  Portugals  could  in- 
flict, and  preferred  death.  Yet  I  am  now  inclined  to  think 
this  reason  was  but  an  afterthought  of  his,  and  that  he 
merely  put  it  forward  to  hide  his  grave  dread  by  way  of 
pleasantry  ;  for  I  have  remarked  that  men  of  humor  will 
in  their  most  painful  moments  put  forward  a  jest,  when  at 
another  time  they  would  be  silent.  So  I  have  seen  some 
jest  over  their  disease  when  they  know  it  to  be  mortal,  and 
others  even  who  have  died  with  a  pleasantry  at  their  own 
expense  on  their  lips. 

All  this  time  we  stood  in  the  midst  of  great  feather- 
plants  *  as  high  as  my  shoulder,  hoping  the  dog  would  come 
*  Ferns.— F.  B. 


TlfB  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         223 

nigh  enough  for  us  to  cut  him  down  ere  we  were  spied  by 
the  men,  who,  we  doubted  not,  had  muskets  to  defend 
them  ;  also  we  dared  not  move,  lest  we  should  be  heard  by 
the  dog  or  be  seen  by  the  men.  Presently  the  barking  and 
the  sound  of  voices  went  further  away,  as  if  the  dogs  had 
got  on  our  track  and  were  hunting  it  back  the  way  we  had 
come  ;  then  the  barking  ceased  altogether,  to  our  great 
content,  for  we  made  sure  thereby  the  scent  was  lost,  and 
the  chase  given  up. 

"  Now,"  says  Matthew,  "  let  us  put  our  right  leg  fore- 
most and  get  down  to  the  river  as  best  we  may,  for  if  we 
get  t'other  side  of  that  unseen  we  may  laugh  at  dogs  and 
Portugals." 

"  "  Nay,"  says  I,  "  go  if  you  will,  but  I  can  not  get  away 
from  this  station  until  I  know  whether  my  dear  cousin  be 
there  or  not.  You  live  for  freedom,"  adds  I,  "  but  I  live 
for  something  more  than  that." 

"  No  need  to  tell  me  that,"  says  he.  "  Lord  love  you, 
master,  do  you  think  I  don't  know  what's  the  matter  with 
you  ?  Trust  me,  I'll  play  you  no  scurvy  trick,  though  I 
don't  relish  the  society  of  females.  Do  as  I  wish  you,  and 
believe  me  I  am  thinking  as  much  of  your  welfare  and 
happiness  as  my  own.  But,  for  Heaven's  sake,  do  not  let 
us  waste  time  a-talking  here  like  so  many  attorneys.  You 
shall  have  all  the  explanation  you  need  when  we  get  t'other 
side  of  the  water." 

I  felt  sure  of  this  good  fellow's  honesty,  and  believing 
his  judgment  better  than  mine,  knowing  more  of  these 
parts  and  the  ways  of  Portugals  than  ever  I  did,  I  yielded 
to  his  persuasions,  and  we  scuttled  down  the  hillside  as 
quickly  as  we  might  for  the  obstructions  that  pestered  us 
more  and  more  as  we  advanced.  For  in  the  lower  sides  of 
these  hills,  towards  the  bottom,  where  the  sun  burns  fiercer, 
the  soil  is  moister,  and  a  greater  depth  of  earth  lies  over 
the  rock,  the  growth  is  prodigiously  thick  ;  and  besides  the 
mass  of  shrubs  upon  the  ground  that  one  must  pick  one's 
way  through  not  to  be  torn  in  pieces,  the  trees  are  all 
netted  together  with  lianas  as  stout  as  a  ship's  tackle  ; 
brambles,  briars,  and  hanging  vines  of  a  hundred  sorts ; 
so  there  is  no  way  betwixt  them  but  what  a  man  may  cut 
for  himself  with  his  sword. 


a 24          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  Give  me  a  valley  like  that  we  have  left  behind,  where 
there  is  naught  but  stones  and  rocks,"  says  Matthew  ; 
"  for  though  you  may  break  your  shins  one  moment  and 
your  nose  the  next,  yet  can  you  make  some  headway.  But 
here,"  says  he,  "  no  man  can  roll  down  a  hundred  yards 
without  setting  foot  to  the  ground.  Howsomever,  we're 
shut  of  the  dog  for  our  consolation." 

Scarce  were  these  words  out  of  his  mouth  when  they  were 
forcibly  contradicted  by  a  fierce  barking  close  in  our  rear  ; 
and  turning  about  we  spied  the  brute  (as  big  as  a  wolf  and  as 
horrid)  bounding  towards  us.  But  seeing  us  prepared  with 
our  swords  to  cut  him  in  pieces,  he  stops  short.  Nor  would 
he  anyhow  permit  us  to  get  near  him  (though  Matthew,  to 
tempt  him,  hid  his  sword  behind  him,  and  made  forward 
with  his  hand  out,  saying  "Poor  doggy"  very  civilly,  as 
though  he  would  caress  him),  but  backing  when  we  advanced 
towards  him,  approaching  as  we  went  on,  the  dog  contrived 
ever  to  keep  well  out  of  our  reach,  all  the  while  barking  to 
be  heard  a  mile  off. 

"  This  will  never  do,"  says  I ;  "  the  Portugals  will  be 
down  on  us  directly." 

"  Ay,"  says  he  ;  "  do  you  cut  a  way  through  the  briars, 
while  I  keep  this  brute  off." 

So  I  hacked  away  with  all  my  might  at  the  lianas,  while 
Matthew  occupied  himself  with  the  dog,  sometimes  in  Portu- 
guese, commanding  him  (as  I  judged)  to  go  home  in  a  tone 
of  authority,  or  entreating  him  mildly  to  come  near  and  get 
a  chop  for  his  pains ;  but  all  to  no  purpose,  except  that  he 
kept  him  from  doing  us  a  mischief  with  his  fangs. 

"  Go  home,  you  beast  !  "  cries  he  :  and  then  in  the  same 
breath,  "  Would  we  were  back  in  my  old  valley,  master  : 
I'd  brain  you  with  a  rock  in  a  twinkling.  But  here  is  noth- 
ing to  hurl  at  the  cursed  beast.  Nice  old  doggy,  come 
here  !  " 

But  now  he  had  to  hold  his  peace,  for  we  could  hear  in 
the  woods  above  us  the  voices  of  Portugals  crying  to  one 
another,  and  shouting  encouragement  to  the  dog  ;  nor  dare 
I  chop  our  way  further,  lest  the  flashing  of  the  sword  should 
be  seen  above  the  growth  about  us,  and  bring  a  shower  of 
musket-balls  upon  us. 

The  only  thing  that  saved  us  from  immediate  discovery 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         225 

and  apprehension  was  that  our  pursuers  found  the  same 
difficulty  in  advancing  that  we  had  overcome,  and  had  to 
cut  their  way  to  where  they  heard  the  barking  of  the  dog. 

"  If  we  could  only  silence  that  vile  dog  !  "  whispered 
Matthew,  grinding  his  teeth. 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "  but  how  may  we  do  that  ? " 

"  I  see  but  one  way,"  says  he,  "  and  that  not  very  promis- 
ing, but  'tis  better  than  to  wait  here  and  be  shot.  Let  us  go 
back  the  way  we  have  come." 

"  Why,"  says  I,  "  that  is  but  to  offer  ourselves  the  sooner 
to  the  Portugals." 

"  Nay,"  says  he,  "  they  are  still  a  pretty  fair  distance  off. 
Come  and  do  as  I  ask  you." 

"  Lead  on,  friend,"  says  I.  "  You  are  better  acquainted 
with  this  warfare  than  I." 

So  Matthew  started  at  once  to  go  back  up  the  hill  by 
the  way  we  had  cut  through  the  growth,  which  did  seem  to 
me  the  rankest  folly  in  the  world.  And  what  made  it  look 
worse  was  that,  instead  of  trying  to  pacify  the  dog,  he 
enraged  it  more  than  ever  by  thrusting  at  it  with  his  sword, 
spitting  at  it,  etc.,  but  in  betwixt  he  gave  me  instructions, 
and  opened  out  his  designs. 

"  You  see  the  big  tree  on  your  right  hand  in  front  ?  " 
says  he. 

"  Ay,"  says  I. 

"  Get  behind  me,  and  when  I  pass  that  tree  slip  behind  it 
and  wait  ready  with  your  sword.  The  dog  knows  me,  and 
takes  no  note  of  you." 

There  was  no  time  to  say  more,  for  he  had  come  abreast 
of  the  tree,  and  here  he  did  draw  the  dog  into  a  greater 
rage  than  ever,  so  that  (as  he  had  directed)  I  slipped  be- 
hind  the  tree  unobserved.  And  now,  seeing  Matthew's 
excellent  design,  I  waited  with  my  sword  raised  above  my 
head. 

After  he  had  gone  forward  another  two  or  three  paces, 
Matthew  begins  to  draw  back,  all  the  while  gibing  and  jeer- 
ing at  the  dog,  who  was  now  so  furious  that  he  even  ven- 
tured to  snap  at  the  sword-blade  when  Matthew  thrust  it 
forward  ;  and^so  step  by  step  Matthew  falls  back  until,  pass- 
ing me  a  couple  of  paces,  the  dog  comes  snapping  and 
snarling  forward  after  him  till  he  is  fairly  within  my  reach, 


*26  THE.  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

when  with  one  swift  blow  I  did  cut  him  right  through  the 
loins  clean  in  two  halves. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

WE    LAY  OUR  HEADS  TOGETHER  CONCERNING  WHAT  IS   BEST 
TO  BE  DONE. 

NOW  having  slain  the  dog,  as  I  have  shown,  we  crouched 
us  down,  that  we  might  not  be  seen,  feeling  pretty  se- 
cure ;  for  those  who  pursued  were  a  good  way  to  the 
north  of  the  path  we  had  cut  for  ourselves,  and  unless  by 
accident  they  hit  upon  that,  they  might  hack  and  hew  for  a 
whole  week  (now  there  was  no  dog  to  betray  our  where- 
abouts) without  coming  nigh  us.  Indeed,  as  the  old  saying 
goes,  'twas  like  searching  of  a  needle  in  a  bottle  of  hay, 
winh  this  addition — that  they  who  searched  were  no  bigger 
than  the  needles  they  sought.  As  we  squatted  there  we 
could  plainly  them  chopping  at  the  growth  to  make  a  pas- 
sage (which  was  a  comforting  assurance  they  had  not  hit 
upon  the  alley  we  had  made),  together  with  much  cursing 
and  swearing ;  very  grateful  also  to  our  ears,  as  showing 
they  liked  not  their  business,  and  crying  out  to  the  dog,  who, 
for  aught  they  knew,  had  started  some  game  or  was  busy 
battening  upon  his  prey. 

For  some  time  this  uproar  continued,  and  at  one  moment 
it  seemed  to  be  coming  perilously  near  ;  but  in  the  end  they 
overshot  us,  going  down  the  hill  some  way  below.  Then 
they  gave  over  shouting,  and  we  heard  no  more  of  them,  by 
which  we  judged  they  had  given  up  the  attempt  to  find  us 
or  the  dog  in  despair,  and  were  gone  back  the  way  they  had 
come. 

So  when  we  counted  it  safe  to  move,  we  once  more  began 
to  force  our  passage  down  to  the  river  ;  and,  not  to  tire  the 
reader  as  much  as  we  tired  ourselves  in  this  business,  we 
at  length  reached  the  water-side. 

Here,  being  exhausted  with  our  exertions  and  faint  for 
want  of  food,  we  made  a  fire,  and  ate  a  serpent  roasted  on 
the  embers,  which  Matthew  had  cut  down  ;  and  this  I  recol- 
lect, because  it  was  the  first  time  I  had  tasted  of  these 
reptiles ;  nor  should  I  then  have  eaten  it,  having  a  great 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          "7 

loathing  for  such  worms,  but  that  Matthew  assured  me  they 
were  excellent  meat,  as  indeed  they  are  for  those  who  can 
get  no  better. 

While  we  were  regaling  ourselves  I  begged  Matthew  to 
tell  me  why  he  had  come  down  to  the  river  instead  of  re- 
turning to  the  road. 

"  For  two  reasons,  master,"  he  replies.  '•  First  of  all, 
there  was  not  a  bend  of  that  road  t  nat  was  safe  for  us,  see- 
ing that  at  any  turn  we  might  ha*e  marched  smack  into  the 
hands  of  the  Portugals." 

"  I  don't  see  that,"  says  I  ;  "  for  we  had  stood  a  better 
chance  of  catching  sight  of  Lewis  de  Pino  and  his  train 
going  on  before  us  than  they  of  spying  us  creeping  on  be- 
hind them." 

"  How  about  the  others  ?  "  says  he. 

"  What  others  ? " 

"Why,  they  who  have  been  hunting  us  with  the 
dog." 

"  They,  I  take  it,  are  Lewis  de  Pino's  men,"  says  I. 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,  not  they  !  "  says  he.  "  Do  you 
think  that  dog  was  his,  too  ?  Oh,  no  !  He  and  I  are  old 
enemies.  He  belongs  to  my  old  master  the  factor,  and  is 
kept  at  the  station  to  hunt  poor  runaways.  I  knew  the 
moment  I  heard  his  bark  that  my  factor's  men  were  on  our 
heels.  Villain  !  he  is  shrewd  enough  to  know  you  would 
follow  in  your  cousin's  steps,  and  dispatched  his  men — -if 
he  be  not  himself  at  their  head — to  search  the  road  and 
apprise  De  Pino  of  your  escape.  Now,  master,  if  they  had 
slipped  by  without  being  betrayed  by  the  dog  they  would 
have  spurred  on  till  they  overtook  De  Pino,  and  finding  us 
not  with  him  would  have  laid  in  ambush  to  take  us  as  we 
followed  after.  Do  you  think  I'm  far  out  in  my  calcu- 
lation ? " 

"  No,"  says  I  ;  "  you're  right,  I  must  allow,  Matthew  ; 
and  now  for  your  second  reason." 

"  The  second  hangs  on  to  the  first,  master  ;  for  it  stands 
to  reason  that  if  we  ran  a  fair  chance  of  losing  our  own 
liberty  by  sticking  to  the  road,  we  were  in  a  poor  way  to 
save  the  female.  I  went  a  bit  too  far  maybe  in  supposing 
that  you  had  no  certain  scheme  of  your  own  for  circum- 
venting De  Pino." 


228          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  No,"  says  I ;  "  you  were  in  the  right  again  there  :  I 
had  no  fixed  purpose." 

u  You  had  a  notion  maybe  that  we  might  catch  De  Pino 
and  his  men  all  napping,  and  that  we  might  just  get  away 
with  the  female  before  they  woke." 

I  admitted  that  if  I  had  any  scheme  at  all  it  was  no  better 
than  that. 

"  Well,  master,"  says  Matthew,  "  we  must  give  the  Port- 
ugals  credit  for  having  sense  enough  to  sleep  with  one  eye 
open  after  being  warned  that  you  were  at  large,  and  so  you 
must  see  that  it  would  be  courting  our  own  destruction  to 
attempt  any  such  design  as  that." 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "  but  I  sha'n't  be  content  to  escape  de- 
struction myself  if  my  cousin  is  to  be  abandoned  to  a  worse 
fate." 

"  True,  master,"  says  he  ;  "  but  as  her  escape  depends 
on  our  existence,  we  must  insure  the  latter  for  to  compass 
the  former." 

"  There  I  agree  with  you,"  says  I  ;  "  but  do  you,  if  you 
can,  show  me  by  what  means  you  reckon  to  get  at  my  Lady 
Biddy,  for  up  to  this  you  have  only  led  me  further  away 
from  her." 

"  Master,"  says  he,  "  so  far  as  my  observation  goes,  the 
best  part  of  mortal  success  has  been  achieved  by  the  turn- 
ing of  happy  accidents  to  advantage,  and  our  success  in 
this  undertaking  must  likewise  depend  upon  favorable  cir- 
cumstances coming  to  our  hand.  Nevertheless,  we  can  do 
something,  and  the  best  chance  of  gaining  a  victory  is  to 
attack  the  enemy  on  the  side  where  assault  is  least  looked 
for  ;  and  so,"  says  he,  seeing  I  was  pretty  well  driven  to 
the  end  of  my  patience  with  his  philosophy,  "  instead  of 
hanging  about  in  De  Pino's  rear,  where  he  undoubtedly 
expects  to  spy  us,  we  must  get  in  front  of  him,  where  he  as 
little  looks  to  meet  us  as  the  man  in  the  moon." 

"  And  how  on  earth  do  you  expect  to  get  in  front  of  him 
by  coming  down  here  ?  " 

"  By  the  river,"  says  he,  "  where  there  are  neither  rocks 
to  throw  us  over,  nor  briars  to  balk  our  progress." 

"  He  will  be  leagues  ahead  of  us,  man,  before  nightfall," 
says  I,  in  desperation. 

"  No  matter  for  that ;  we'll  be  leagues   ahead  of  him 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  229 

before  daybreak.  I  warrant  we'll  be  at  Valetta  a  day  be- 
fore he  arrives." 

"  Where  is  Valetta  ?  " 

"  Valetta  is  a  town  on  this  river  that  he  must  pass  through. 
'Tis  four  days'  march  from  here  by  road — a  shorter  journey 
than  by  the  river  ;  but  we  must  advance  while  he  is  resting, 
journeying  by  night  as  well  as  by  day.  Turn  and  turn 
about,  we  need  never  stop  at  our  oars  save  to  eat  our  meals 
together." 

"  But  we  have  no  boat,"  says  I. 

"  We  must  make  one,"  says  he. 

I  laughed,  yet  not  merrily,  and  asked  him  if  he  expected 
we  could  make  a  boat  in  four  days,  when  it  had  cost  me 
four  months  and  more  to  make  a  raft. 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he,  "  we'll  be  afloat  in  four 
hours." 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 

IN  WHICH  MATTHEW    PLAYS    THE    BEGGAR   AND  I  THE  FOOL. 

MY  comrade  had  no  sooner  made  promise  that  we  should 
be  afloat  in  four  hours  than  he  started  about  carrying 
out  his  design. 

There  was  in  that  swamp  that  bordered  the  river  an 
amazing  quantity  of  great  cane-reeds,  some  twenty  feet  in 
height  and  more,  and  of  these  he  began  to  cut  down  with 
his  sword  such  as  were  most  proper  to  his  purpose,  bidding 
me  do  the  like,  and  choose  those  of  last  year's  growth, 
which  were  dry,  light,  and  of  good  girth.  Nothing  loath,  I 
waded  into  the  morass  (with  a  care  that  I  trod  on  no  water- 
serpent)  until  I  was  pretty  well  up  to  my  middle  in  water, 
and  there  I  laid  about  me  with  a  will,  until  I  had  cut  as 
many  as  I  could  carry,  which  I  then  took  to  a  point  where 
the  water  was  deep  and  free  from  this  growth,  and  laid  them 
beside  Matthew's  store.  In  this  way  we  proceeded  until  we 
had  laid  up  a  good  stock  of  these  canes. 

•'  Now,"  says  Matthew,  eyeing  them,  "  I  judge  we  have 
enough  ;  so  do  you  go,  master,  and  cut  me  one  of  those 
plaguey  vines  that  gave  us  so  much  trouble  this  morning, 
while  I  set  these  reeds  shipshape." 


»3d          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Perceiving  his  object,  I  went  up  into  the  wood  and  cut 
ten  or  a  dozen  fathoms  of  the  lianes,  which,  as  I  say,  are 
like  any  ship's  tackle  for  toughness  and  soundness.  While 
I  was  about  this,  Matthew  sets  the  canes  out,  with  the  thick 
end  of  one  overlapping  about  three  parts  of  its  length  the 
thick  end  of  another  in  such  a  manner  that  (all  being 
served  and  tightly  bound  with  the  liana  at  both  ends,  and 
again  in  two  or  three  places  towards  the  middle)  they  made 
a  huge  bundle  about  a  yard  through  at  its  largest  girth,  and 
four  yards  long,  tapering  off  at  each  end  like  a  fishing-float. 
This  being  done,  and  the  lianes  bound  securely  to  Mat- 
thew's mind,  he  begs  me  to  lend  him  a  hand  at  cutting 
away  certain  of  the  canes  in  the  middle  with  my  knife, 
which  was  tough  work  indeed  (for  the  canes  were  pro- 
digious hard),  and  labor  we  might  have  spared  ourselves 
had  we  bethought  us  to  dispose  the  canes  differently  before 
we  bound  them  up ;  but  this  did  not  occur  to  us  till  we 
were  pretty  nigh  the  end  of  our  job. 

However,  having  cut  out  of  the  middle  a  space  about 
four  feet  long  by  two  broad,  and  as  much  in  depth,  our 
business  was  done. 

This  was  the  boat  which  was  to  carry  us  up  the  river, 
and  Matthew  was  not  a  little  proud  of  it  ;  though  I  was 
still  in  a  taking  for  fear  it  should  turn  over  when  we  set 
foot  into  it,  and  capsize  us  both  into  the  water  ;  but  this  it 
did  not,  but  carried  us  as  steadily  as  we  could  wish,  and 
capital  good  we  found  it  for  such  a  boat  as  it  was. 

For  our  sweeps  or  paddles  we  bound  two  stout  canes 
together,  stretching  them  asunder  at  one  end  and  covering 
that  part  with  a  broad  tough  grass. 

In  this  craft  we  made  our  way  up  that  river  three  days 
and  four  nights,  only  stopping  to  take  such  rest  as  was 
needful  and  to  procure  refreshment.  Many  difficulties  and 
perils  we  encountered  by  the  way,  but  of  these  I  have  no 
space  to  tell  had  I  the  inclination,  for  it  seems  as  I  write 
that  I  have  the  same  burning  impatience  which  urged  me 
on  then  to  come  to  my  Lady  Biddy.  Every  obstacle  that 
delayed  progress  enraged  me.  I  could  scarcely  bring  my- 
self to  let  my  comrade  get  his  fair  and  necessary  amount  of 
sleep,  but  would  be  twitching  him  to  awake  ere  he  had  got 
soundly  asleep  ;  for  as  to  one  sleeping  in  the  boat  while  the 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  231 

other  rowed,  that  we  found  impossible,  because  there  was 
no  room  to  lie  down  there,  and  necessary  it  was,  for  fear  of 
cramps,  at  times  to  take  our  feet  out  of  the  water,  which 
we  had  no  means  to  keep  from  coming  in  betwixt  the 
reeds. 

But  Matthew  bore  with  me,  seeing  my  great  anxiety  of 
mind,  and  that  I  did  not  rest  a  quarter  as  much  as  he  ; 
and  though  he  grumbled  amain  (but  chiefly  in  pretense), 
he  roused  himself  after  the  second  or  third  twitch,  and  did 
all  man  could  to  give  me  hope.  Indeed,  a  fellow  of  gent- 
ler temper,  a  more  cheerful,  kind  friend,  I  never  knew  of 
his  sex. 

Soon  after  daybreak  on  the  fourth  day,  having  been  at 
our  sweeps  a  couple  of  hours  maybe,  we  spied  some  fishing- 
canoes  moored  by  the  shore,  and  some  little  cot-houses 
hard  by,  by  which  we  judged  we  had  come  to  the  outskirts 
of  Valetta.  Whereupon  we  drew  into  the  bank,  and  going 
up  through  the  woods  to  the  top  of  a  little  hill,  came  upon 
tilled  fields,  beyond  which  lay  the  town,  very  gray  and  quiet 
in  the  creeping  light  of  that  early  morning. 

"  Now,  master,"  says  Matthew,  "  the  first  thing  is  to 
learn  if  De  Pino  and  his  train  have  yet  arrived  in  the  town  ; 
and  we  can't  do  that  standing  here  looking  at  it." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  I'm  ready  to  go  into  the  town  at  once  if 
you  are.  But  we  must  be  secret." 

"  Ay,"  says  he ;  "  and  for  that  reason  you  will  have  to 
bide  here." 

"  I  can  not  do  that,"  says  I.  "  Think,  Matthew — she  may 
stand  in  need  of  my  help.  I  shall  be  mad  if  I  stay  here 
idle." 

"  Not  so  mad,"  says  he,  "  as  if  you  venture  into  that 
town.  Look  at  your  state.  Could  any  man  clap  eyes  on 
you  without  pointing  you  out  to  his  neighbor  ?  " 

Truly  I  was  in  a  sad  pickle — my  fine  clothes  that  I  had 
of  Dom  Sebastian  rent  in  a  hundred  places  with  the  thorns 
through  which  we  had  torn  our  way  in  escaping  by  the 
woods  ;  no  hat  to  my  head  ;  my  silk  stockings  stained  with 
the  blood  from  my  scratched  legs  and  the  mud  of  the 
morass  ;  and  my  hands  and  faqe  swollen  with  the  bite  of 
those  flies  that  haunt  the  river. 

"  You  look,"  continues  he,  "  as  if  you  had  broke  loose 


232  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

from  a  prison,  and  like  nothing  else  ;  and  if  you  be  taken 
to  task  by  the  mayor,  or  other  busybody,  to  account  for 
your  condition,  your  answer  or  your  silence  will  at  once  be- 
tray you  for  a  foreigner.  So  will  you  be  clapped  up  in 
jail,  and  the  female  be  worse  off  than  ever." 

1  was  forced  to  admit  that  he  was  in  the  right,  and  to 
ask  what  he  designed. 

"  Why,"  says  he,  "  I  shall  go  into  the  town  as  a  ship- 
wrecked mariner,  cast  ashore  off  Buenaventure,  fallen  sick 
of  a  leprosy,  and  begging  my  way  to  my  friends  at  Carta- 
gena, and  no  one  shall  count  this  a  lie  by  the  bravery  of 
my  dress." 

Indeed  he  looked  beggarly  enough,  having  not  a  rag  of 
shirt  to  his  back,  nor  any  clothes  but  his  shoes,  breeches, 
and  a  jacket  of  skins,  with  an  old  hat  that  no  one  would 
have  picked  off  a  dust-heap. 

"  In  this  guise,"  continues  he,  "  may  I  go  all  through 
that  town,  asking  alms  in  good  Portuguese,  so  that  men 
will  be  more  glad  to  get  out  of  my  way  than  to  stop  me. 
And  if,  when  I  have  been  to  all  the  inns  and  places  of  rest, 
I  find  De  Pino  is  not  yet  come,  I  will  sit  me  down  against 
a  church-door,  the  town  gate,  or  elsewhere  most  convenient 
for  spying  who  enters  by  the  road  from  Darien,  and  wait 
there  till  nightfall,  when  I  will  come  again  to  you.  And, 
lest  I  get  no  broken  victuals,  do  you  have  a  good  supper 
ready  by  way  of  alms  to  give  a  hungry  beggar." 

I  promised  him  he  should  not  lack  for  food. 

"  Now,  master,"  says  he,  "  give  me  something  as  a  token 
that  I  may  slip  into  the  female's  hand,  when  I  go  to  beg  of 
her,  as  she  passes,  whereby  she  may  know  that  you  are  at 
hand." 

I  was  greatly  pleased  with  his  forethought,  which  showed 
a  kind  consideration  for  Lady  Biddy's  happiness,  and  de- 
lighted to  think  I  might  thus  communicate  with  her.  So, 
undoing  my  waistcoat,  I  cut  a  fair  piece  from  the  breast  of 
my  shirt,  which  was  of  fine  linen,  and  having  pierced  my 
finger  with  a  thorn  I  contrived  to  trace  "  B.  P."  on  this  rag 
with  my  blood. 

Meanwhile  Matthew  had  gone  about  to  find  some  purple 
berries  which  he  crushed  in  divers  places  upon  the  flesh  of 
his  legs  and  face,  so  that  when  he  came  forth  I  scarcely 


THE  ADMIRABLE -LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          *33 

knew  him  again,  as  he  looked  for  all  the  world,  by  reason 
of  this  disfigurement,  like  one  who  was  sore  of  a  plague. 

"  I  wager,"  says  he,  "  no  one  will  want  to  lay  hands  on 
me  now  ;  and  as  for  De  Pino,  he  will  turn  away  in  disgust 
at  the  first  glance,  for  these  Portugals  pretend  to  have 
mighty  nice  stomachs.  Howsomever,  I  must  give  myself 
another  touch  or  two  to  deceive  his  eye." 

Therewith  he  takes  his  knife  and  saws  away  at  his  bushy 
beard  until  he  had  brought  it  down  to  a  point,  after  the 
Portugals'  mode.  Then  he  begged  me  to  crop  the  hair  of 
nis  head,  which  I  did  forthwith  ;  and  to  see  me  a-trimming 
his  head  with  my  sword  was  a  sight  to  set  any  barber's 
teeth  on  edge.  This  done,  he  give  me  his  sword  to  take 
charge  of,  and  hides  his  knife  inside  his  jacket,  with  my 
token  for  Lady  Biddy.  Then  folding  his  arms  on  his  chest, 
drawing  up  his  shoulders  to  his  ears,  and  putting  on  a  most 
woe-begone  look,  he  asks  me  if  I  think  he  will  pass  muster. 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "you  are  horrid  enough,  in  all  conscience; 
but  with  those  loathsome-seeming  sores  upon  you  I  doubt 
if  my  cousin  will  care  to  take  my  token  from  your  hand." 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he  with  a  laugh,  "  if  you 
knew  as  much  of  females  as  I  do  you  would  have  no  doubt 
on  that  head.  There's  no  disguise  will  deceive  their  eyes 
when  they  have  a  man  in  their  thoughts  ;  and,"  adds  he  in 
a  graver  tone,  "  there's  no  form  of  distress  will  make  them 
shrink  from  a  tender  office." 

He  gave  me  his  hand,  bidding  me  farewell,  and  went  his 
way  with  a  shuffling  gait  and  a  sly  leer  back  at  me  to  show 
me  he  understood  his  business. 

I  watched  him  until  he  entered  the  fields,  where  the  tall 
plants  presently  hid  him  from  my  sight.  Then  I  bethought 
me  to  set  adrift  our  boat,  which  might  have  excited  curios- 
ity and  suspicion  had  it  been  seen  by  any  one  passing  on 
the  river ;  and  this  I  did,  after  cutting  the  lianes  that  bound 
it,  so  that  it  might  go  to  pieces  as  it  went  down  with  the 
current.  After  that,  with  a  sling  I  managed  to  kill  half  a 
dozen  birds,  about  the  size  of  pigeons,  and  these  I  cooked 
in  the  midst  of  the  wood,  where  the  smoke  from  my  fire 
might  not  be  seen.  Also  I  gathered  some  good  fruit,  and 
of  this  food  I  set  by  enough  to  serve  for  a  meal  when 
Matthew  returned.  Then  I  sat  me  down  at  that  point 


»34          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

whence  my  comrade  had  departed,  watching  for  his  return 
through  the  fields. 

Hour  after  hour  I  sat  there,  turning  my  eyes  neither  to 
the  right  nor  to  the  left,  for  my  eagerness  to  see  him  again, 
and  my  thoughts  all  the  while  running  on  my  dear  lady  ; 
but  no  reflections  worthy  to  be  recorded.  The  sun  sank 
and  the  twilight  faded  away  ;  but  the  stars  were  bright  in 
the  sky  before  I  heard  any  sign  of  Matthew  ;  then  I-caught 
a  snuffling,  whining  voice,  which  I  knew  to  be  his, 
crying  : 

"  Is  there  'ere  a  kind  friend  will  give  a  bit  to  a  poor  sick 
seafaring  man  ? "  at  the  same  time  I  perceived  a  figure 
coming  towards  me. 

"  What  news,  Matthew — what  news  ? "  I  cried,  running 
to  meet  him. 

"  Plenty,"  says  he  ;  "  I've  done  a  rare  day's  business." 

u  Lord  be  praised  !  "  says  I  ;  "  what  have  you  learnt  ?  " 

"  That  a  canting  rogue  may  earn  more  in  a  day  than  an 
honest  man  in  a  week." 

"  What  else,  what  else  ? "  says  I  impatiently. 

"  That  for  winning  true  respect  there's  naught  like  sham 
sores." 

"  For  the  love  of  Heaven  do  not  torment  me  !  What  of 
my  cousin  ?  " 

"  Oh,  she  has  not  yet  come  into  the  town,"  says  he ; 
"  nor  will  she  to-night  for  certain  ;  the  gates  were  being 
shut  when  I  crawled  out.  I  told  you,  master,  we  should 
get  here  a  day  before  De  Pino." 

On  this  I  heaved  a  great  sigh  for  disappointment. 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he,  "  don't  heave  a  sigh 
like  that  afore  you're  married,  or  you'll  have  none  left  for  a 
better  occasion." 

This  pleasantry  made  me  sadder  that  before,  for  it  put 
me  in  mind  that,  come  what  might,  Lady  Biddy  could  never 
be  mine,  nor  I  anything  to  her  but  as  a  poor  faithful 
servant. 

"  Cheer  up,  master,"  says  Matthew.  "  You  may  wager 
that  if  I  haven't  brought  you  one  sort  of  comfort,  I've 
brought  you  another.  Feel  the  weight  of  this." 

I  then  perceived,  for  the  first  time,  that  Matthew  had  a 
load  on  his  back. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDD\   FANE.          235 

"  What  in  the  world  have  you  got  there,  friend  ?  "  says  I, 
feeling  the  great  distended  skin  bag  he  carried. 

"  Wine,  master — wine  of  the  best,  and  a  couple  of  gal- 
ions  of  it." 

"  How  did  you  come  by  it  ? " 

"  Honestly.  I  paid  for  it  with  good  silver,  and  I've 
enough  left  against  times  of  need.  For,  you  see,  while 
wholesome  beggars  were  taken  into  the  kitchen  for  a  paltry 
mess  of  broken  victuals,  I  no  sooner  showed  my  lace  in  a 
doorway  but  a  silver  piece  was  tossed  into  the  road  to  get 
rid  of  me.  Bless  every  one  with  a  nice  stomach,  say  I  ; 
they  give  me  the  whole  street  to  myself  when  they  catch 
sight  of  me,  and  go  a  roundabout  way  to  their  goal.  You 
wonder  why  I  wasn't  turned  out  of  the  town.  Lord  love 
you,  there  was  not  a  constable  had  the  heart  to  lay  his  hand 
on  me.  A  sort  of  a  kind  of  a  Beadle  came  and  looked  at 
me  from  a  distance,  arid "Twas  liaTiPaieared  he  meditated 
getting  me  shot  with  a  long  gun  ;  but  when  I  sat  me  down 
peaceably  in  the  church-door,  he  saw  I  could  do  no  one  any 
mischief  there,  and  so  went  away  to  trounce  some  silly  folks 
who  were  trying  to  turn  a  penny  or  two  with  a  dancing  dog." 

In  this  manner  did  he  run  on,  telling  me  of  his  adven- 
tures during  the  day,  until  all  our  birds  were  eaten  and  the 
wine-skin  half  empty,  when  he  laid  himself  down,  chuckling 
over  the  prospect  of  a  long  night's  sleep,  and  warning  me 
not  to  arouse  him  too  soon,  as  he  had  been  forced  to  wait 
an  hour  at  the  gates. 

"  And,"  says  he,  "if  I  show  myself  an  early  riser,  they 
may  well  doubt  if  I  be  a  true  beggar." 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

WE    GO    FROM    VALETTA    TO    SEEK    MY    LADY    BIDDY    ELSE- 
WHERE. 

THE  next  day  seemed  to  me  as  if  it  would  never  come 
to  an  end,  having  nothing  much  else  to  do  than  to 
watch  for  Matthew's  return  ;  and  what  made  it  more 
tedious  and  wearisome  was  that  my  comrade  had  started 
bidding  me  expect  him  back  before  midday. 


236  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  For,"  says  he,  "  the  next  station,  if  I  remember  right, 
is  but  a  matter  of  four  or  five  leagues  distant  ;  so  that, 
starting  betimes,  they  must  needs  arrive  about  ten  or  eleven 
at  the  outside." 

When  he  came  not  at  noon  I  began  to  torment  myself  with 
fears  lest  some  mischance  had  happened  to  Matthew  ;  either 
that  he  had  been  clapped  up  in  a  bridewell  to  cure  him  of 
his  sores,  or  had  been  recognized  by  Lewis  de  Pino,  to  his 
great  misfortune.  And  though  this  was  grievous  enough 
to  think  on  (for  I  loved  the  kind,  honest  rogue),  yet  it  was 
nothing  beside  the  concern  I  felt  for  Lady  Biddy  had  such 
an  accident  arrived  ;  for  while  I  was  lingering  here,  with 
my  hands  idle  by  my  side,  Lewis  de  Pino  might  be  hurrying 
away  with  her  to  Quito. 

As  soon  as  the  first  star  began  to  twinkle  I  could  bear 
this  suspense  no  longer,  and  started  out  towards  the  town  ; 
for  if  Matthew  were  free,  I  knew  he  would  leave  the  town 
when  the  gates  were  about  to  be  closed.  About  half  a 
league  from  the  town  I  met  him  (to  my  great  joy),  and  my 
first  question  was  what  news  he  had  brought  with  him. 

Instead  of  beating  about  the  bush  and  making  a  joke  of 
my  impatience,  he  answered,  very  soberly,  that  De  Pino  and 
his  train  had  not  yet  entered  the  town. 

"  Hows'mever,"  says  he,  "  there's  no  call  to  be  cast  down 
about  that  matter,  for  I  may  very  well  have  made  a  mistake 
in  the  distance,  seeing  I  have  traveled  over  the  road  but 
once,  and  that  ten  or  a  dozen  years  ago.  One  thing  is  cer- 
tain, master — they  must  arrive  to-morrow,  and  this  delay 
is  all  to  our  advantage,  since  it  has  given  me  time  to  pry 
about  the  town,  and  examine  in  what  manner  we  may  best 
contrive  to  get  the  female  out  of  De  Pino's  hands." 

Therewith  he  entered  into  the  design  he  had  formed  for 
this  purpose,  describing  the  inn  at  which  the  merchants 
stayed,  with  the  means  of  getting  out  of  the  town,  and  into 
it,  without  passing  the  gate,  etc.,  etc.,  in  such  detail  that  he 
gave  me  no  time  to  think  of  anything  else  till  we  had  eaten 
our  supper  and  emptied  the  wine-skin,  when  he  declared  he 
was  too  tired  to  converse  longer  ;  and  so,  laying  himself 
down,  bade  me  good-night  and  presently  began  to  snore. 

But  then,  my  mind  being  no  longer  occupied  with  his 
return,  I  grew  uneasy  again  about  this  delay,  and  could  not 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  237 

close  an  eye  for  my  trouble.  I  had  noticed  that  Matthew 
was  much  less  merry  than  usual,  and  now  I  took  it  into  my 
head  that  the  long-winded  description  of  the  inn,  and  his 
ingenious  project  for  rescuing  "the  female,"  was  nothing 
but  a  design  to  divert  my  mind,  and  make  his  own  uneasi- 
ness less  noticeable. 

'Twas  useless  attempting  to  sleep  in  this  disorder  of  mind, 
and  I  could  no  longer  lie  still  when  day  broke  ;  but  getting 
up  quietly,  so  that  I  might  not  awake  Matthew,  I  went  to 
a  little  distance  and  paced  backwards  and  forwards  with  a 
heavy  heart.  Presently  Matthew,  getting  up,  comes  to  my 
side,  and  says  he  : 

"  Can't  you  sleep,  master  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  I. 

"  No  more  can  I,"  says  he,  "  and  I  took  a  pretty  stiff  dose 
of  wine,  too,  for  my  nightcap.  I  ha'n't  slept  a  wink  all 
night." 

"  You've  snored  pretty  continually,  nevertheless,"  says  I. 

"  As  for  that,"  says  he,  "  I'm  a  man  that  must  be  doing 
something  ;  and  'tis  as  easy  to  snore  as  to  wear  spots  on 
your  face  ;  but  one  is  no  more  a  sign  of  sleep  than  t'other 
is  of  a  distemper." 

"  Why  couldn't  you  sleep,  Matthew  ?  "  says  I.  "  What's 
amiss  ? " 

"  Well,"  says  he,  "  De  Pino  and  the  female  ought  to  have 
come  in  yesterday  morning  at  the  latest." 

"  But  you  said  you  might  have  made  a  mistake  as  to  the 
distance  ? " 

"  So  I  might,"  says  he  slyly  ;  "  but,  to  make  quite  sure, 
I  took  the  pains  to  inquire  last  night  of  my  friend  at  the 
inn,  outside  the  town,  and  I  found  I  had  not." 

"  Then  you  believe  they  ought  to  have  been  here  before 
now  ? "  says  I  sharply. 

"  Yes,  master,"  says  he  gravely.  "  They  ought  to  have 
come  in  the  night  afore  last,  or  yesterday  morning  at  the 
latest.  When  it  came  noon  yesterday  I  gave  them  up  ;  yet 
I  stayed  there  in  the  hope  I  was  wrong.  First  saying  to  my- 
self that,  being  warned  of  your  escape  by  the  factor,  he  had 
thought  it  well  to  make  an  ambush,  and  wait  for  you  to 
come  up  ;  and  then  that  he  had  stopped  for  some  reason  of 
his  business  ;  but  these  arguments  wouldn't  do — and,  to 


238  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

cut  a  long  story  short,  I  made  up  my  mind  when  I  saw 
the  gates  closed  last  night,  and  no  sign  of  De  Pino  along 
the  road  for  half  a  mile — I  made  up  my  mind,  I  say,  that 
he  had  taken  another  road." 

"  Taken  another  road  ! "  says  I,  in  a  terrible  amazement. 

"  Ay,"  says  he.     "  I  can  account  for  it  in  no  other  way." 

"  And  why  did  you  not  tell  me  this  last  night  ?  "  I  asks 
angrily. 

"  We  could  do  nothing  in  the  dark,  and  I  hoped  you 
would  get  a  good  night's  sleep  and  be  fresh  for  a  march 
this  morning,"  says  he  simply.  "  There  was  no  good  in 
plaguing  you  before  your  time." 

I  could  not  be  angry  with  the  fellow  after  that,  for  he 
was  in  the  right,  and,  'twas  out  of  pure  kindness  of  heart 
he  had  held  his  tongue. 

"  I  though  you  were  so  sure  of  the  road,  Matthew  ? " 
says  I. 

"  So  I  was,  master  ;  and  more  fool  I.  Don't  spare  me  ; 
I  deserve  all  the  blame,  for  'twas  I  who  would  have  you 
come  by  the  river  when  you  would  have  gone  by  the 
road." 

"  Did  you  make  no  inquiry  about  this  road  last  night  ? " 

"  Ay,"  says  he.  "  No  other  road  to  Quito  is  known  to 
the  innkeeper  but  this.  Yet  he  may  be  as  great  a  fool  as 
I  in  that  matter  ;  and  though  De  Pino  could  take  no  other 
road  to  Quito,  he  might,  for  all  that,  have  turned  aside  to 
some  other  place." 

"  What  do  you  propose  we  should  do  now,  Matthew  ? " 

"  Get  on  to  the  road,  and  hark  back  as  soon  as  there  is 
light  enough  for  us  to  pick  our  way.  We  will  hit  the  road 
within  sight  of  the  town-gates  before  they  are  opened,  to 
make  certain  they  have  not  come  up." 

The  poor  fellow  was  so  crestfallen,  having  now  no  heart 
to  disguise  his  discomfiture,  that  to  cheer  him  I  professed 
to  be  in  no  way  disheartened  by  this  failure. 

"  For,"  says  I,  "  there  is  this  advantage  about  it  :  I  shall 
not  have  to  rest  idle  here  any  longer.  'Twill  be  light 
enough  to  begin  our  march  in  half  an  hour." 

"  Why,  that's  true,  master,"  says  he,  brightening  up  ; 
"  and,  not  to  waste  time,  we'll  have  a  good  meal  to  strength- 
en us  against  fatigue." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  239 

"  There's  nothing  to  eat,"  says  I ;  "we  finished  every 
scrap  last  night." 

"  Nay,"  says  he  ;  "I  laid  out  for  that,  and  brought  home 
a  peck  loaf  and  a  roast  loin  of  mutton  with  me  last  night." 

I  remembered  he  was  pretty  well  charged  when  we  met 
over-night,  but  had  taken  no  heed  of  what  he  carried,  think- 
ing in  the  dark  it  was  but  another  skin  of  wine. 

"  Parrots  are  all  very  well  for  high  feeding,  and  so  are 
serpents  and  such-like,"  says  he,  fetching  his  loaf  and  the 
loin  of  mutton,  "  but  give  me  bread  and  roast  mutton  when 
there's  work  to  be  done." 

When  we  had  finished  our  repast,  Matthew  buckled  on 
his  sword,  and  we  started  off.  Striking  the  road  after  an 
hour's  march,  and  making  sure  that  no  cavalcade  lay  be- 
tween us  and  the  town,  we  turned  our  faces  to  the  north, 
and  strode  out  with  a  will :  nor  did  we  check  our  pace  for 
two  hours,  albeit  the  way  lay  all  up  hill  and  none  too 
smooth.  We  met  not  a  soul  all  that  time,  for  only  merchants 
with  their  trains  of  mules,  etc.,  pass  this  way,  and  they  not 
frequently,  so  that  for  a  whole  week  there  may  not  be  a 
single  traveler  to  be  met.  Indeed,  we  had  scarcely  dared 
to  travel  that  way  otherwise,  for  our  appearance  would 
have  justified  any  one  in  taking  us  for  outlaws — I  in  my 
tattered  finery,  with  a  peck  loaf  slung  on  my  shoulder,  as 
great  knife  in  my  girdle,  a  long  sword  in  my  hand,  and 
nothing  but  an  uncombed  crop  of  hair  on  my  head  ;  and 
Matthew  likewise  fiercely  armed,  with  a  wine-skin  and  a 
bundle  of  broken  victuals  at  his  back,  scarcely  enough 
clothes  to  cover  his  nakedness,  and  a  complexion  as  if  he 
had  just  escaped  from  a  lazar-house — in  fine,  as  unwelcome 
a  knight  and  squire  as  any  one  might  wish  to  meet.  Nor 
were  our  movements  much  more  reassuring  than  our  ap- 
pearance, for  at  ever  turn  of  the  road  we  would  stop  with 
our  swords  firmly  gripped,  peering  round  the  rocks  and  be- 
twixt the  bushes,  as  if  we  were  on  the  look-out  for  some 
one  to  waylay  and  murder. 

At  length  we  came  in  sight  of  a  station,  and  here  with 
great  prudence  we  went  about  to  spy  into  it,  and  yet  not  be 
seen  ourselves  ;  and  this,  by  reason  of  its  position  and  the 
chance  of  encountering  hunters  in  the  surrounding  wood, 
was  a  painful  and  tedious  business  ;  but  finally  getting 


24°          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

upon  the  further  side,  and  crawling  near  with  terrible  fear 
(lest  we  might  arouse  some  watch-dog,  and  so  have  a  repe- 
tition of  our  former  trouble),  we  got  a  fair  sight  into  the 
village,  where  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  four  bearded 
rascals  playing  of  cards.  And  so,  creeping  out  of  that  wood 
as  carefully  as  we  had  crept  in,  we  once  more  got  into  the 
road,  and  pushed  onward  till  noon  without  stopping,  except 
at  the  bends  of  the  road  as  aforesaid. 

At  noon  we  stooped  to  eat  and  refresh  ourselves,  and 
that  done,  we  went  onward  again  for  best  part  of  two  hours, 
though  the  sun  was  now  at  its  height ;  but  by  reason  we 
were  now  very  high  up  on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  and 
that  in  many  places  the  rock  sheltered  us  with  an  agreeable 
shade,  we  were  not  so  hot  but  that  we  could  still  march 
with  a  good  heart.  Yet  here  we  stayed  to  consult  together, 
for  we  had  come  to  a  part  of  the  road  where  we  could  not 
conceal  ourselves  if  we  met  Lewis  de  Pino,  nor  retreat 
without  exposing  ourselves  to  the  fire  of  his  arquebuses. 
For  the  path  wound  along  close  by  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, with  no  growth  of  herbs,  and  all  barren  for  a  long  dis- 
tance in  front ;  nor  was  it  possible  to  get  out  of  the  path  by 
clambering  upwards  or  sliding  downwards  for  the  prodig- 
ious steepness  of  it,  and  the  road  so  narrow  that  no  two 
pack-mules  could  pass  each  other,  except  by  standing  aside 
in  certain  cavities  hewn  here  and  there  in  the  rock  in  case 
of  one  train  meeting  another.  Down  below  lay  the  woods, 
but  so  deep  that  the  highest  tree-tops  came  no  nearer  than 
a  couple  of  hundred  feet  of  where  we  stood. 

"  Master,"  says  Matthew,  "  if  we  meet  De  Pino  and  his 
merry  men  on  this  road  'twill  be  a  bad  job  for  us." 

"  Ay,"  says  I ;  "  and  the  sooner  we  get  to  the  other  end 
of  it  the  safer  we  shall  be." 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he,  "  what  a  thing  it  is  to 
be  a  philosopher  !  Here  might  I  jeopardize  my  precious  life 
another  ten  minutes  but  for  your  wisdom." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

KOW  WE  CAME  TO  THAT  PLACE  WHICH   I  CALL  THE  VALLEY 
OF  DEATH. 

AS  we  followed  this  path,  we  discovered  that,  where  op- 
portunity offered,  bridges  of  long  trees  had  been 
thrown  from  one  jutting  rock  to  another,  to  save  the 
labor  of  cutting  a  way  in  the  side  of  the  mountain.  We 
had  crossed  two  of  these  bridges  when  Matthew,  being 
ahead  of  me,  suddenly  mended  his  pace,  and  then,  coming 
to  a  stand,  turns  about  and  cries  : 

"  Hang  me  if  I  wasn't  right  after  all,  master.  They  have 
come  along  this  road,  but  have  turned  back." 

"  How  can  you  answer  for  that,  friend  ?  "  says  I. 

"  Why,  look  you,"  says  he,  pointing  to  the  road  a  dozen 
yards  ahead  of  us.  "  Here  is  a  bridge  broke." 

Stepping  briskly  forward,  I  found  that  it  truly  was  as  he 
said,  for  there  yawned  a  great  gap,  which  no  man  could 
jump  ;  and  that  there  had  been  a  bridge  here  we  could 
plainly  see  by  the  print  of  the  tree-trunks  in  the  rubble  on 
the  ledge  cut  for  them  in  the  rock.  Moreover,  looking 
over  the  edge,  we  spied  one  of  these  timbers  lying  athwart 
of  a  rock  down  below. 

This  discovery  so  comforted  me  (for  I  made  sure  I  was 
now  near  my  Lady  Biddy,  instead  of  being  all  at  sea  as  to 
her  whereabouts)  that  I  set  up  a  great  shout  of  joy. 

"  For  the  love  of  Heaven,  master,  have  a  care  ! "  cried 
Matthew  in  a  whisper,  after  listening  a  moment  in  terror. 
"  Did  you  not  hear  that  answer  to  your  shout  ? " 

"  Nay,"  says  I  ;  "  what  answer  ?  " 

"  I  know  not,"  says  he,  looking  around  him  in  a  scare  ; 
"  pray  Heaven  it  be  not  our  enemies." 

"  Nonsense,"  says  I,  beside  myself  with  this  return  of 
hope  ;  "  'twas  but  an  echo  from  the  rocks — hark  !  "  And 
with  that  I  hallooed  again  as  loud  as  I  could,  which  was 
the  maddest  thing  to  do,  and  not  to  be  done  save  by  a  man 
reckless  with  despair  or  with  joy. 

On  this  Matthew  claps  his  hand  on  his  mouth  in  terror, 
as  if  it  was  he  who  had  sung  out,  and  then  lifting  his  finger 
crouches  down  on  his  hams,  overcome  with  feai;  and  ex- 


242  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

pecting  nothing  less,  I  believe,  than  to  be  riddled  with 
musket-balls  the  next  minute.  But  he  had  cause  for  alarm, 
and  I  only  was  the  fool,  for  now  I  distinctly  heard  over 
and  above  the  echoes  of  my  voice  a  cry  harsh  and  hoarse, 
but  like  nothing  human,  so  that  I  was  brought  to  my  sober 
senses  in  a  moment.  So  we  stood  silent  and  still  for  the 
space  of  a  minute,  wondering  whence  this  sound  came  (and 
I  not  much  braver  than  Matthew),  and  then  I  fell  laughing 
like  a  fool. 

"  See,  says  I,  pointing  to  a  great  buzzard  which  was 
sweeping  in  a  circle  over  the  trees  below,  "  there  is  the  only 
enemy  I  have  roused,  and  one  whose  flight  is  more  to  be 
counted  on  than  his  attack." 

But  Matthew  would  not  join  in  my  mirth,  and,  albeit  he 
got  back  his  courage  presently,  he  was  not  so  light  of  heart 
as  he  had  been  before,  for  he  took  this  bird  to  be  a  sign  of 
ill-omen. 

"  Come,  master,"  says  he,  "  instead  of  playing  the  fool 
here,  let  us  think  how  we  are  to  get  t'other  side  this  chasm, 
unless  you  are  minded  to  rest  here  content.  For  my  own 
part,  I  see  no  way  to  get  across." 

"  Have  patience  with  me,  Matthew,"  says  I,  seeing  I  had 
wounded  his  feelings  by  laughing  at  his  terror.  "  I  have 
been  so  unhappy  that  this  change  in  our  fortune  has  turned 
my  head." 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he  kindly,  "  I  like  a  jest 
as  well  as  any  man,  but  hang  me  if  I  see  any  joking  matter 
here,  or  any  change  of  fortune  to  be  charmed  with.  For 
at  the  next  station  De  Pino  will  get  all  the  Portugals  he 
can  to  return  with  his  own  fellows  to  restore  this  bridge, 
so  we  are  like  to  have  a  score  of  arquebuses  against  us  in- 
stead of  ten  or  a  dozen." 

This  brought  our  danger  and  our  difficulties  so  clearly 
to  my  mind  that  I  grew  sober  at  once,  and  began  to  cast 
about  with  Matthew  very  earnestly  how  we  might  bridge 
the  chasm.  But  there  was  nothing  there  for  such  a 
purpose,  and  there  was  no  way  but  to  climb  up  the  rocks  or 
down  until  we  found  some  jutting  points  by  which  we  could 
scramble  along  the  face  of  the  mountain.  After  calcula- 
ting by  which  method  we  were  least  likely  to  break  our 
necks,  we  resolved  to  go  upwards,  yet  had  we  to  go  back 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          243 

some  way  to  get  at  any  part  that  could  be  scaled.  But 
after  climbing  up  some  fifty  feet  we  found  ourselves  (thanks 
be  to  God)  on  a  ledge  of  smooth  rock,  which  we  had  not 
seen  from  the  road  below  for  its  height  and  the  rock  that 
overhung  it.  This  ledge,  as  I  judge,  had  been  formed  by 
a  slip  in  the  mountain,  for  there  a  seam  of  glittering  rock 
ran  all  along  beside  it ;  but  be  that  as  it  may,  it  formed  a 
level  path  as  good  as  that  we  had  quitted,  and  better, 
though  mighty  narrow  in  parts,  so  that  it  was  a  ticklish 
business  to  go  forward,  and  that  sideways  and  clinging 
with  every  nail  to  the  rock  ;  and  the  narrowest  part  was 
(as  luck  would  have  it)  just  over  that  part  where  the  bridge 
had  been  broken  away,  so  that  we  felt  exceeding  grateful 
to  Providence  when  we  were  safe  on  the  other  side. 

We  now  considered  whether  we  should  get  down  again 
into  the  made  road,  but  seeing  the  side  was  still  vastly 
steep  and  difficult  to  descend,  we  were  content  to  follow 
our  ledge,  in  the  hope  we  should  presently  come  to  a  part 
where  we  might  descend  more  easily.  We  had  gone  about 
a  hundred  yards  when,  looking  over  the  side,  I  stopped, 
and  called  Matthew's  attention  to  the  road  below. 

"  Lord  love  us,  master,"  cried  he,  casting  his  eye  down, 
"  why,  there's  another  bridge  gone  !  " 

There  was,  indeed,  another  great  gap  in  the  road,  not 
less  extensive  than  the  first. 

"  Can  you  make  out  what  this  signifies  ?  "  says  Matthew. 

"  No,"  says  I.  "  'Tis  no  accident,  that's  pretty  clear  ; 
and  it  looks  as  if  it  were  done  of  a  design  to  check  pursuit." 

"  What  pursuit  had  they  for  to  fear  ?  "  says  Matthew  ; 
"  not  ours,  to  be  sure."  Then  scratching  his  head,  after  tilt- 
ing his  hat  for'ard,  as  was  his  wont,  he  says,  half  aloud,  as 
if  trying  to  grasp  the  points  of  the  problem  :  "  They  are 
going  south  ;  they  cross  the  first  bridge  and  come  to  the 
second.  They  destroy  that  so  carefully  that  not  a  stick  is 
left;  go  back,  cross  the  first  bridge  again,  and  pJl  that 
down  as  carefully  as  they  served  the  other."  He  could  make 
nothing  of  it,  which  seemed  to  exasperate  him  ;  for  he  pres- 
ently claps  his  hat  back  in  its  place,  and  dropping  on  his 
hands  and  knees,  the  better  to  survey  the  road,  cranes  over 
the  edge  of  the  rock,  casting  his  eye  to  the  right,  and  then 
to  the  left,  and  finally  fixing  it  on  the  ground  beneath, 


244  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  Master,"  says  he,  "  do  you  tell  me  what  marks  you  see 
in  the  road  down  there." 

So  down  go  I  on  my  hands  and  knees,  and  looking  in- 
tently for  some  time — 

"  I  can  see,"  says  I,  "  the  marks  of  the  mules'  feet  in  the 
dust,  but  whether  they  are  turned  north  or  south  I  can't 
make  out." 

"  Nor  I,  neither,"  says  he  ;  "  but  do  you  see  anything  be- 
sides ? " 

"  I  see  a  trace  where  the  hoof-marks  seem  to  be  smudged 
out ;  as  if  something  had  been  dragged  along  the  ground 
towards  the  edge  of  the  abyss." 

"  That's  what  I  mean.  Now  what  does  that  argify  ? "  he 
asks,  getting  off  his  hands,  squatting  on  his  heels,  and  once 
more  scratching  his  head. 

I  could  make  no  reply,  but  still  leaned  over,  trying  to 
make  out  these  marks. 

"  Good  God  !  "  exclaimed  Matthew,  all  of  a  sudden, 
"  what's  this  ?" 

Turning  about  hastily,  I  found  him  regarding  a  patch  on 
the  rock  just  in  front  of  where  he  was  kneeling.  Looking 
closer,  I  saw  that  it  was  almost  black,  yet  with  a  purple 
tinge.  Matthew  scraped  it  with  his  nail,  and  as  it  showed 
deep  red  below  the  surface  he  looks  up  into  my  face  and 
says,  dropping  his  voice  almost  to  a  whisper  : 

"Blood!" 

Glancing  round  he  scanned  the  rocky  ledge  behind  him; 
then  suddenly  he  points  his  finger  without  a  word  to  an- 
other stain  not  a  foot  off ;  but  this  told  its  tale  more  clearly, 
for  it  formed  a  print  of  an  open  hand  ;  as  if  a  wounded 
man,  after  trying  to  stanch  the  blood  from  a  wound,  had 
been  forced  to  clap  that  hand  on  the  rock  to  save  him  from 
falling  into  the  road  below. 

That  others  had  been  on  that  ledge  before  us  was  clear 
enough,  but  it  beat  me  to  know  how  a  wounded  man 
could  have  crawled  up  there,  or  what  his  purpose  had  been. 

"  Come  on,  master,"  says  Matthew,  springing  to  his  feet, 
"  we  must  lose  no  time.  This  riddle  concerns  us,  or  I  am 
wrong  in  my  reckoning.  God  grant  no  mischief  has  come 
to  the  female  ;  that's  all  I  pray." 

My  heart  was  chilled  to  hear  him  speak  thus,  for  I  saw 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          245 

that  he  argued  more  from  these  signs  than  he  chose  to  tell, 
and  that  he  had  grave  fears  to  make  him  utter  this  prayer. 
I  followed  him  close  at  his  heels,  quaking  in  every  muscle 
for  fear,  until  we  came  to  a  part  where  it  looked  possible  to 
slide  down  into  the  road  without  very  great  danger  ;  yet 
was  it  such  a  venture  as  we  might  not  have  made  at  another 
time,  but  Matthew  was  as  desperate  as  I. 

"  Master,"  says  he,  as  we  lay  down  to  slip  over  the  edge  ; 
"  we'll  both  let  go  at  the  same  time,  so  that  one  may  not 
have  to  bury  the  other  if  this  hazard  does  our  business." 

So  we  hung  over  the  side,  and,  recommending  ourselves 
to  Providence,  nodded  to  each  other,  and  let  go.  In  about 
two  minutes  we  slid  down  about  fifty  feet  and  more  ;  but 
by  a  happy  chance  came  upon  our  feet  at  the  bottom  in  the 
middle  of  that  narrow  road,  not  much  more  bruised  and 
torn  than  we  had  hoped  for. 

As  soon  as  he  had  fetched  breath,  Matthew  falls  to  exam- 
ining the  dust  in  the  road  foot  by  foot,  going  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  chasm  where  the  bridge  had  been  (the  north- 
ernmost of  the  two),  I  following  in  silence,  for  I  had  not 
his  intelligence,  yet  looking  stupidly  on  the  ground,  as  if  I 
expected  to  see  Lady  Biddy's  history  writ  there. 

When  he  had  come  right  to  the  edge  of  the  gulf  and 
could  go  no  further,  he  turns  to  me  and  says  very  gravely  : 

"  Master,  have  you  got  a  stout  heart  ?  " 

"  Ay,"  says  I  ;  but  my  voice  belied  me,  for  it  was  feeble 
as  a  child's,  knowing  by  this  prelude  that  he  had  come  to  a 
conclusion  which  must  be  terrible  to  my  ear. 

Matthew  unslung  his  wine-skin  and  bade  me  drink. 

"  For,"  says  he,  "  I  warn  you  there  is  a  call  for  all  your 
manhood." 

When  I  had  drank  I  bade  him  tell  me  the  worst  of  his 
fears. 

"  Look  you,"  says  he,  pointing  to  the  dust  of  the  road, 
"  here  are  the  marks  of  mules'  hoofs,  and  here  the  prints  of 
those  great  boots  the  Portugals  wear." 

"  Yes,"  says  I,  waiting  with  a  throbbing  heart  for  what 
was  to  follow  hence. 

"  The  boot-prints  go  all  in  one  direction — south  ;  not 
one  is  turned  north  as  I  can  find  ;  but  the  mules'  hoofs 
turn  both  south  and  north  ;  and  see,  here  is  one  turned 


34^          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BtDDY  FAtfE. 

north  that  is  right  in  the  midst  of  a  footprint  turned 
south." 

"  Go  on,  Matthew,"  says  I  faintly,  yet  with  a  show  of 
courage,  that  he  might  finish. 

"  The  Ingas  have  been  at  work.  I  see  the  hand  of  those 
murderous  savages  in  this  ;  yet  we  should  not  call  'em  hard 
names  neither,  for  they  only  do  that  for  revenge  which  the 
Portugals  do  for  gold.  They  dread  and  hate  every  white 
face,  and  from  time  to  time  they  travel  in  a  great  band 
leagues  and  leagues  to  come  to  a  place  like  this,  where  they 
may  rid  themselves  of  these  Portugal  tyrants.  Here  was  a 
place  after  their  very  heart.  They  destroy  the  further 
bridge,  and  when  De  Pino  has  passed  they  came  from  their 
ambuscade,  which,  as  we  know,  was  in  the  rock  above,  and 
withdraw  the  timbers  of  the  hither  one,  which  they  may  have 
been  loosing  and  preparing  for  weeks,  and  thus,  when  the 
whole  train  can  neither  go  onward  nor  backward,  they  go 
up  to  the  ledge  again,  and  shoot  down  with  their  arrows 
from  the  rock  above  every  one  of  their  enemies.  Then, 
when  their  deadly  work  is  finished,  they  replace  the  tim- 
bers to  fetch  off  the  mules  and  their  booty.  To  end  all 
they  cast  down  the  timbers  to  delay  discovery  and  give 
them  time  to  escape.  This  is  how  it  comes  about  that  we 
see  the  hoofs  turned  north,  but  not  a  single  footmark  of 
those  who  went  south  with  them." 

"  Out  with  it,  Matthew  !  "  I  cries,  in  a  passion  of  des- 
pair ;  "  tell  me  that  she  is  massacred  with  the  rest — that  not 
one  has  escaped  ! " 

"  Master,"  says  he,  with  a  great  compassion  in  his  voice, 
"  the  Ingas  have  no  more  pity  for  a  white  woman  than  a 
white  man.  All  are  gone  !  " 

"  No,  no  !  "  cries  I  imploringly  ;  "  'tis  not  so.  They 
found  the  bridge  broke  and  went  back." 

Without  a  word  Matthew  put  his  hand  on  my  arm  and 
pointed  down  to  the  valley  where  the  great  buzzard  that  I 
had  laughed  at  but  half  an  hour  before  was  again  sweeping 
round  above  the  trees. 

My  heart  stopped,  and  I  felt  it  lie  like  a  cold  stone  within 
me  as  I  thought  upon  what  dainty  flesh  this  foul  bird  of 
carrion  had  been  gorging. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE,          247 
CHAPTER  XLVII. 

WE   GO   DOWN    INTO    THAT   VALLEY   OF   DEATH. 

I  KNEW  too  well  what  Matthew  meant  by  this  silent  in- 
dication. He  would  have  me  to  understand  that  the  Ingas' 
slaughtered  victims  had  been  cast  down  the  precipice 
(as  the  traces  in  the  road  bore  out),  and  that  the  carrion 
birds  were  already  feasting  on  their  bodies. 

My  imagination  could  furnish  forth  no  argument  against 
the  justice  of  this  conclusion,  and  having  now  no  hope  to 
animate  me,  all  about  me  appeared  a  blank,  as  if  my  heart 
could  no  longer  feel,  and  all  my  faculties  were  stunned. 
So  I  stood  there,  watching  the  buzzard  whirl  round  and 
round,  as  if  I  had  nothing  in  the  world  to  do  but  that. 

I  was  aroused  from  this  apathy  by  Matthew  laying  his 
hand  on  my  shoulder,  and  saying  in  a  gentle  voice  : 

"  Master,  would  it  ease  your  mind  to  talk  about  her  ?  " 

Then  I  felt  that  I  would  like  to  pour  out  the  grief  from 
my  heart,  yet  not  to  Matthew  ;  so  I  turned  away  in  an 
agony,  thinking  there  was  no  one  in  the  wide  world  to  sym- 
pathize with  me  now  she  was  gone.  Who  but  I  knew  how 
gentle  and  sweet  her  nature  was,  and  what  words  of  mine 
could  ever  tell  her  praise  as  she  deserved  ?  Then  recall- 
ing the  sweet  face,  her  delicate,  gracious  manner,  the  pretty 
tone  of  her  voice,  and  in  particular  certain  little  kind  words 
she  had  given  me,  with  an  encouraging  look  now  and 
again,  her  brave  habit  of  looking  on  the  better  side  of  our 
misfortunes  to  cheer  me  up,  the  dainty  movement  of  her 
hands,  and  one  or  two  little  episodes  wherein  she  had 
shown  a  pleasant  wit — recalling  these  things,  I  say,  and 
reflecting  that  they  could  never,  never  be  repeated,  my  heart 
was  wrung  with  bitter  grief. 

"  Master,"  says  Matthew  again,  seeing  that  I  was  in  such 
great  pain — "  master,  are  you  minded  to  find  her  body,  and 
save  her  from  those  vile  birds  ? " 

I  nodded  eagerly  ;  not  because  of  my  respect  for  the 
dead  so  much  as  that  I  longed  to  look  once  more  upon  that 
dear  face,  and  kneel  down  beside  her  in  secret,  and  weep,  if 
the  tears  could  find  vent  from  my  heart. 

So  we  began  to  cast  about  how  we  might  get  down  into 


248  THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

that  dark  valley  ;  and  while  I  was  spying  below  I  noticed 
that  the  buzzard  was  perched  on  a  point  of  rock  about  mid- 
way down,  and  near  him  were  perched  two  others.  See- 
ing this,  a  wild  idea  came  across  my  mind,  and  calling  to 
Matthew  I  bade  him  observe  these  birds,  and  then  says  I : 

"Why  are  they  there  ? " 

He  looked  at  me  as  not  quite  seeing  my  drift. 

"  If  they  are  all  dead  below  there,  would  those  birds  stand 
aloof  ?  Why  have  they  been  soaring  round  and  round  above 
the  trees  this  half-hour  and  more  ? " 

"  What  you  say,  master,"  says  he,  "  is  very  much  to  the 
point.  Certainly  they  do  not  use  to  hold  off  in  this  manner, 
except  there  be  sign  of  life  in  their  prey.  And  yet  "  (look- 
ing down  the  abyss)  "  is  it  possible  that  any  one  hurled 
down  from  this  height  could  survive  the  shock  five  minutes  ? 
Nay,  even  if  the  bough  of  a  tree  did  somewhat  break  the 
fall,  the  poor  wretch  would  be  so  broken  that  death  were 
preferable  to  such  a  maimed  existence." 

I  wasted  no  time  in  replying  to  this  argument,  for  I  had 
no  thought  but  that  my  dear  lady  yet  breathed.  And  I 
must  needs  think  it  was  she  of  all  those  who  had  been 
thrown  down  that  had  escaped,  though  any  one  not  dis- 
tracted with  a  new-born  hope  would  have  seen  that  her  frail 
body  least  of  any  could  survive  that  terrible  catastrophe. 

I  ran  along  the  road,  seeking  a  place  to  descend,  with 
Matthew  at  my  heels,  imploring  me  to  have  a  care  of  my 
own  life,  and  not  rashly  expose  myself  to  death  for  the  sake 
of  two  minutes.  However,  I  paid  no  heed  to  his  warning, 
but  at  the  first  point  where  there  seemed  a  possibility  of 
climbing  down  the  rocks  to  the  valley  I  made  the  attempt. 

"  Master,  master  !  "  cries  Matthew,  "  for  the  love  of 
Heaven,  don't  go  down  there.  'Tis  a  hundred  chances  to 
one  we  be  dashed  to  pieces  that  way.  Look  you  a  hun- 
dred yards  ahead  ;  there  is  a  safer  way." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  stay  where  you  are,  Matthew,  or  go  a 
safer  way.  I  make  no  doubt  that  Providence  will  help  me 
here  as  before." 

"  If  you  go  I  go,  master,"  says  he,  following  without  a 
moment's  hesitation.  "  For  I  count  upon  Providence 
being  as  merciful  to  me  as  to  you,  though  my  legs  be 
shorter." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          249 

We  got  down  the  face  of  that  mountain-side  better  than 
we  might  have  expected  from  the  look  of  it  above  (though 
how,  I  knew  not),  and  with  no  great  hurt,  thanks  be  to 
God.  And  now,  being  at  the  top  of  that  slope  on  which 
the  trees  grew,  though  still  a  prodigious  height  above  the 
bottom  of  the  valley,  we  made  our  way  over  the  crags  and 
scattered  stones  towards  that  part  which  lay  below  the  road 
between  the  two  bridges,  which  we  made  out  at  a  distance 
clearly  enough,  because  there  the  rock  was  straight  down 
as  any  wall,  and  its  side  brushed  by  the  arms  of  the  great 
pine-trees  we  had  observed  from  above.  When  we  got 
amongst  these  trees,  the  first  sign  of  the  Ingas'  business 
was  seen  in  the  timbers  of  the  bridge,  of  which  one  stood 
on  end,  held  so  by  the  boughs  of  the  pine  through  which 
it  had  passed,  but  the  rest  lay  splintered  amongst  the  rocks, 
Matthew  said  nothing,  but  I  saw  by  a  toss  of  his  head  and 
a  desponding  look  in  his  face  that  he  was  asking  himself 
how  any  human  being  could  escape  death  by  such  a  fall 
when  these  solid  timbers  had  been  shivered  in  pieces. 
Then  perceiving  we  could  be  at  no  great  distance  from 
where  the  bodies  had  been  flung  down,  I  grew  sick  with 
the  dread  of  seeing  at  the  next  footstep  the  crushed  and 
mangled  form  of  my  dear  lady,  so  that  I  could  go  no 
further  for  the  weakness  of  my  legs,  but  was  forced  to  lean 
against  a  tree  for  support,  while  a  cold  sweat  came  out 
upon  my  face. 

Observing  my  case,  Matthew  without  a  word  slung  round 
his  wine-skin,  which  he  had  brought  down  (though  our 
swords  and  all  else  that  was  dispensable  we  had  left  above), 
and  gave  me  a  drink,  but  would  have  me  sit  down  to  it, 
making  out  he  could  not  lift  the  skin  high  enough  else  by 
reason  it  was  nearly  empty. 

'•  Do  you  feel  a  bit  stronger  now,  master  ? "  says  he 
kindly,  when  I  had  drunk. 

"  Ay,"  says  I  ;  "  in  a  minute  I  shall  be  ready  to  go  on." 

While  I  was  bracing  up  my  courage,  he  silently  went  on 
a  dozen  paces,  and  then  he  comes  to  a  stand,  so  that  I 
knew  he  was  in  the  presence  of  the  dead  ;  for  had  there 
been  any  room  for  hope  he  would  not  have  stopped  short. 
Then  I  forced  myself  to  rise,  and  went  to  his  side,  where 
he  stood  with  one  hand  on  a  pine-tree,  looking  beyond ; 


35°          ?HE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

indeed,  the  spectacle  to  be  seen  thence  was  enough  to  bring 
any  one  to  a  stand. 

At  another  time  we  might  have  rested  there  in  admira- 
tion of  nature's  handiwork,  for  we  stood  on  the  edge  of  a 
glade  made  fertile  by  a  fountain  which,  springing  from  the 
mountain-side,  fell  into  a  rocky  basin,  and  thence  spread 
abroad  over  the  hillside  ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  all  rank  and 
gross-growing  things  had  been  weeded  out  of  this  chosen 
spot,  and  only  such  plants  left  as  might  delight  the  eye. 
The  trunk  of  every  tree  served  as  a  pillar  for  creeping 
vines  to  twine  around,  and  the  boughs  as  a  trellis  for  them 
to  festoon  and  garland  from  end  to  side  ;  which  vines  were 
gayly  decked  one  and  all  with  blossoms  of  every  form  and 
tint,  so  that  above  and  around  was  naught  but  a  transparent 
tapestry  of  bloom,  through  which  the  light  penetrated  in 
soft  hues,  as  it  might  through  the  rich  painted  window  of  a 
cathedral  ;  yet  softer  and  more  tender  than  ever  I  have 
yet  seen.  Then  in  contract  with  this  gorgeous  canopy  of 
color,  the  ground  spread  out  all  carpeted  with  light  feather- 
plants  and  slender  grasses,  while  here  and  there  stood  up  a 
rock  coated  over  with  long  soft  moss,  all  of  a  cool  green- 
ness most  refreshing  to  the  eye. 

But  now  it  was  horror  that  brought  us  to  a  stand,  since 
such  a  loathsome  sight  met  our  eyes  as  would  have  appalled 
the  heart  of  a  Nero.  For  some  distance  around  the  her- 
bage was  beaten  down  and  strewn  with  what  seemed  rather 
the  refuse  and  outcasting  of  a  shambles  than  aught  else  ; 
for  only  on  looking  close  could  one  see  that  this  torn  flesh 
was  from  the  head  of  man,  that  those  broken  bones  were  of 
a  human  body,  etc. 

This  spectacle  was  made  more  ghastly  by  contrast  with 
the  life,  the  peace,  thegayety,  and  loveliness  of  its  surround- 
ings. Terrible  it  was  to  see  how  this  wreck  of  humanity 
was  wreathed  about  with  those  sweet  blooms  they  had  torn 
down  in  falling  through  the  boughs  of  the  trees.  'Twas  as 
if  Death  had  arrayed  himself  in  mockery  with  the  flowers 
of  Cupid.  Here  trailed  a  spray  of  tender  green  with  pur- 
ple blooms  over  the  black  and  festering  vitals  torn  from  the 
chest  of  an  arquebusier,  and  there  from  a  bed  of  rosepink 
buds  gaped  out  a  face  (which  I  recognized  presently  for 
Lewis  de  Pino's)  with  dull,  staring  eyes,  and  a  black,  pro- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         251 

trading  tongue.  Nor  were  our  eyes  alone  shocked  by  this 
loathsome  contrast  ;  for  in  place  of  sweet  odors  from  the 
flowers  we  were  sickened  by  a  stench  of  corruption  which 
did  seem  to  poison  every  breath  I  drew. 

My  first  thought  (when  my  horror  abated,  and  I  could 
reason  at  all)  was  that  those  Ingas  Matthew  spoke  of  were 
a  race  of  cannibals,  who,  after  casting  down  their  victims, 
had  descended  to  glut  their  abominable  appetite  here  at 
leisure  and  in  security  ;  yet  on  closer  inspection  I  could  not 
believe  this  neither,  for  the  bodies  had  not  been  stripped, 
but  their  clothes  had  been  torn  away  with  the  flesh  from 
their  bones,  so  that  it  looked  more  as  if  a  band  of  fam- 
ished fiends  had  been  to  this  feast  than  any  mortal 
creatures. 

I  could  no  longer  believe  that  Lady  Biddy  lived — nay,  I 
could  not  hope  that  she  did  ;  yet  my  eye  wandered  wildly 
over  the  ground  for  some  trace  of  her.  Then  thinking 
she  might  yet  lie  hid  beyond  one  of  those  many  stones  I 
have  mentioned,  I  set  out  upon  this  horrible  quest,  picking 
my  way  amidst  the  remains  of  these  mangled  enemies. 

I  had  not  gone  far  when  Matthew,  plucking  me  by  the 
sleeve,  says : 

"  Master,  that  is  why  the  carrion  birds  have  kept  aloof." 

And  casting  my  eyes  whither  he  pointed  his  finger  I  per- 
ceived, about  twenty  paces  away,  two  great  spotted  ounces, 
which  the  Ingas  call  jagoaretes,  stretched  out  at  full  length 
in  the  herbage — one  with  his  paw  set  on  a  body  which  he 
had  dragged  thither. 

At  the  sound  of  Matthew's  voice  the  beasts  raised  their 
heads  ;  then,  seeing  us,  one  of  them  got  on  his  feet  and  the 
other  sat  up  on  his  haunches.  Presently  he  who  was  on 
his  feet  bared  his  teeth  and  gave  a  menacing  growl,  lashing 
his  tail  the  while  from  side  to  side. 

We  had  taken  off  our  swords  above  and  left  them  there, 
as  I  have  said,  for  fear  they  should  trip  us  in  our  descent, 
so  that  we  had  nothing  to  defend  ourselves  with  against 
these  brutes  ;  nor  could  I  see  anything  proper  for  that  pur- 
pose, the  savages  having  carried  off  all  the  Portugals' 
weapons.  So  here  we  stood,  within  a  few  bounds  of  those 
savage  ounces,  with  no  means  of  attack  or  defense. 

"  Don't  stir,  master,  for  the  love  of  Heaven,"  says  Mat- 


*$2  TffE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

thew ;  "  if  we  turn  tail  we  shall  be  cat's-meat  for  a  cer- 
tainty." 

And  now  the  other  ounce  got  on  his  feet,  and,  stretching 
out  its  neck,  showed  its  teeth,  yet  without  growling,  for  they 
were  both  gorged  to  their  full,  and  heavy  with  their  food. 

Seeing  they  were  not  disposed  to  come  at  us,  Matthew 
unslings  his  wine-skin,  and,  swinging  it  in  his  hand,  makes 
pretense  to  draw  nigh  them,  as  if  he  would  take  them  by 
surprise ;  on  which  the  ounces,  as  not  knowing  what  to 
make  of  it,  dropped  their  tails  and  shrunk  back  their  heads. 
Then  one  of  them  drawing  back  a  pace,  the  other  takes 
alarm,  and,  turning  round,  trots  off  ;  and  the  first,  being  in 
no  mind  to  fight,  presently  does  the  same,  whereupon  Mat- 
thew, hallooing  with  all  his  might,  runs  after  them  with  such 
good  effect  that  they  set  up  a  howl  of  terror  and  were  far 
out  of  sight  ere  he  had  gone  a  dozen  yards. 


CHAPTER   XLVIII. 

A   GREAT   CHANGE  IN  OUR  FORTUNE,  WHEREBY  I  HEAR  THE 
MOST    JOYFUL,  PLEASING    NEWS    HEART    COULD    DESIRE. 

THE  jagoaretes  being  gone,  I  advanced  towards  the 
place  where  they  had  been  lying,  to  see  what  body  they 
had  dragged  apart  from  the  rest  to  devour.  But  ere  I 
had  made  half  a  dozen  paces  I  stopped,  and  the  cold  sweat 
burst  out  again  upon  my  brow  on  observing,  amidst  the 
crushed  and  blood-blackened  fertile  plants,  a  fair  pale  body 
that  had  been  stripped  of  clothing.  At  a  glance  I  per- 
ceived that  it  was  too  slight  and  delicate  for  the  corse  of  a 
man,  nor  could  I  for  a  moment  think  it  was  the  body  of  a 
arquebusier  and  a  Portugal.  "  'Tis  she,"  thinks  I,  "  'tis 
she.  The  savages  have  stripped  her  sweet  body  for  their 
vile  pleasure,  or  for  the  sake  of  her  pretty  gown  ;  why  else 
should  this  one  be  singled  from  the  other  bodies  ? "  I 
covered  my  eyes  with  my  hands  to  shut  out  the  sight  of  that 
poor  mangled  body  ;  yet  I  saw  it  still.  All  hope  was  gone 
from  me,  so  that  I  had  no  desire  to  prove  the  truth  of  ray 
conviction.  Yet  presently  I  felt  that  I  must  do  my  last 
duty  by  her  and  carry  her  whither  those  carrion  birds  and 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  *S3 

foul  beasts  might  not  further  mutilate  her  mortal  remains. 
So  with  my  gorge  rising  I  stepped  forward  again  and  un- 
covered my  eyes.  One  arm  had  been  torn  from  the  trunk, 
but  the  head  was  untouched,  and,  as  I  turned  my  reluctant 
eyes  upon  it,  my  bitter  feeling  towards  Providence  for  thus 
cruelly  bereaving  me  of  my  darling  was  of  a  sudden  changed 
to  gratitude  and  thankfulness,  for  I  perceived  the  face  was 
none  but  that  of  the  little  Portugal  boy  Don  Lewis  had 
given  my  lady  for  her  page. 

Yet  I  had  still  my  dear  lady  to  find,  and  so  once  more  I 
turned  me  round  to  scan  once  more  the  grizzly  scene  of 
havoc.  And  thus  was  I  standing  benumbed  with  despair 
when  Matthew  came  briskly  to  my  side,  and,  taking  me  by 
the  arm,  drew  me  rapidly  on,  saying  in  a  low  voice  : 

"  Quick,  master.  Let  us  get  back  to  the  rocks,  where  we 
may  at  least  have  something  to  hurl  for  our  defense.  For 
though  I  count  we  have  not  an  hour  to  live,  yet  will  we  sell 
our  lives  dearly,  and  die  as  becomes  men." 

Saying  this  he  drew  me  towards  a  tree,  and  from  that  to 
another,  and  so  to  a  third,  as  if  seeking  the  shelter  of  their 
trunks.  Yet,  at  the  same  time,  edging  away  towards  the 
scattered  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  precipice. 

"  Nay,  friend,"  says  I,  "  what  is  there  to  fear  ?  You  have 
scared  off  the  ounces  with  your  hallooing." 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  and  I  wish  to  Heaven  I  had  let  'em 
sleep  on,  and  played  no  such  silly  trick  ;  for  in  scaring 
away  one  enemy  I  have  roused  up  another,  with  a  plague  to 
me.  Behind  that  tree,  master,"  shoving  me  to  the  right, 
and  then  adds  he,  "  The  ounces  were  surfeited  with  their 
meal ;  but  these  others  have  only  had  their  appetite  whet- 
ted for  carnage." 

"  Which  others  ? "  says  I,  greatly  perplexed,  yet  going 
forward  as  he  would  have  me. 

"  The  Ingas,"  says  he  ;  "I  spied  one  of  the  naked 
wretches  as  I  turned  about  to  come  back  to  you.  He  was 
squatting  amidst  the  herbage  at  the  back  of  us ;  but  I 
reckon  they  have  shifted  their  place  as  quick  as  we,  and 
Lord  knows  whether  we  shall  get  amidst  the  rocks  before 
they  get  a  fair  aim  at  us  with  their  arrows." 

Scarcely  had  these  words  passed  his  lips  when  an  arrow 
flew  past  us  and  stuck  in  the  tree  we  were  about  to  pass. 


254          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  That's  a  nigh  squeak,"  says  Matthew.  "  Take  no 
notice,  master.  Push  on.  If  we  get  to  yonder  rock  we 
shall  have  the  mountain  at  our  back  for  a  comfort." 

Another  arrow  flew  past  and  stuck  in  a  tree  before  us. 

"  That's  odd,"  says  Matthew  ;  "  they  don't  use  to  miss 
their  mark  in  this  manner." 

Still  making  our  way  towards  the  rocks,  a  third  arrow 
flew  past  with  the  same  effect  as  before. 

"  Thrice  they've  missed  us,  and  thrice  hit  a  tree  before 
us,"  says  Matthew,  "  and  every  time  on  a  level  with  our 
breasts.  If  this  happens  again,  'twill  be  a  sign  they  are 
aiming  at  the  trees,  and  not  at  us,  though  with  what  intent 
I  know  not." 

As  if  his  words  had  been  heard,  a  fourth  arrow  flew  by, 
straight  to  a  tree  a  dozen  paces  ahead. 

"We  must  look  at  that  arrow,  master,"  says  Matthew. 
"  'Tis  on  your  side  ;  drag  it  out  or  break  it  off  as  you  pass." 

Now  this  business  had  taken  longer  in  the  doing  than  I 
have  spent  in  telling,  for  the  rock  we  were  making  for  lay 
at  some  distance,  and  we  made  a  crooked  way  thither  by 
reason  of  bobbing  from  one  tree  to  another,  which  was 
labor  we  might  have  spared  ourselves,  for  it  only  enabled 
our  pursuer  to  arm  his  bow  the  more  frequently.  I  make 
this  explanation  because  it  is  the  vicious  practice  of  some 
men  to  cast  doubt  upon  very  true  history  since  it  is  not  of 
their  writing  ;  while  others,  by  reason  of  their  short  sight, 
must  have  everything  pointed  out  and  magnified  ere  they 
will  believe  of  its  existence  ;  but,  Lord,  I  should  never 
come  to  an  end  of  this  matter  were  I  to  set  about  satisfy- 
ing every  silly  caviler.  This  by  the  way  :  now  to  continue 
my  history. 

Going  to  do  Matthew's  bidding,  I  stretched  out  my  hand 
to  lay  hold  of  the  arrow  sticking  in  the  tree ;  but  ere  my 
fingers  touched  it  I  stopped  short  with  a  cry  of  joy. 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,  what's  the  matter  ? "  cries 
Matthew. 

"  Look,"  says  I,  pointing  to  the  head  of  the  arrow  buried 
in  the  soft  bark.  4t  Do  you  see  this  shred  of  black  lace 
bound  to  the  shaft  ?  " 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  and  'tis  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  an 
arrow  feathered  in  that  fashion." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  255 

"  'Tis  part  of  my  deai  lady's  gown,"  cries  I,  snatching 
the  arrow  away,  and  pressing  the  lace  to  my  lips,  with 
a  mad  hope  that  she  lived,  and  that  this  was  a  token  sent 
by  her. 

Another  arrow,  being  the  fifth  thus  discharged,  shot  into 
the  trunk  close  by  the  head  of  the  fourth  ;  and  now  I  gave 
another  joyful  shout,  for  round  the  head  of  this  was  bound 
a  little  lock  of  hair  that  shone  in  the  sun  like  burnished 
copper. 

"  'Tis  a  lock  of  her  dear  hair.  My  dearest  lady,  my  darl- 
ing lives  !  she  lives — she  lives  !  "  says  I,  with  the  same  ex- 
travagant joy  as  before.  "  'Tis  a  message  from  her." 

"That  may  be,"  says'Matthew  cheerily  ;  "  but  one  thing 
is  certain — the  Ingas  mean  us  no  harm  ;  for  they  might 
have  riddled  us  like  so  many  colanders  by  this,  had  they 
been  so  minded,  for  all  our  care." 

Casting  our  eyes  about,  we  now  spied  a  young  Inga  (as 
naked  as  Adam)  standing  beside  a  tree  at  about  a  dozen 
yards  off,  with  a  bow  in  his  hand,  and  a  sheaf  of  arrows, 
in  a  long  wallet,  slung  to  his  shoulder.  He  cried  out  some- 
thing in  his  own  tongue,  upon  which  Matthew  (who  had 
got  the  language  by  one  of  his  wives)  turns  to  me  and 
says: 

"  I  don't  know  what  this  fellow  means,  master,  for  he 
wants  to  know  which  of  us  saved  his  wife  from  the  Portu- 
gals.  However,  'tis  no  good  to  stand  nice  about  fibs  at 
this  time,  so  I  shall  tell  him  you  did." 

"  That  you  may  with  truth,"  says  I ;  "  for  though  'twas 
Lady  Biddy  who  enabled  the  poor  woman  to  get  free,  yet 
I  struck  up  the  arquebuse  which  was  leveled  to  shoot  her 
down,"  as  it  suddenly  came  home  to  my  mind  that  this 
Indian's  wife  must  be  that  poor  slave  my  dear  lady  had  set 
free  and  I  had  saved  from  the  shot  of  the  arquebusier. 
This  history  I  gave  to  Matthew  now,  and  he  gave  it  again 
to  the  Inga,  who,  not  liking  this  sign  of  hesitation,  asked 
sternly  (still  with  his  arrow  on  the  bow)  why  he  had  not 
answered  at  once  before  consulting  me. 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  Matthew  (as  he  afterwards 
told  me),  "  Englishmen  are  so  used  to  practising  charity 
that  we  had  to  think  a  moment  to  recollect  such  a  trifle  as 
that.  I'm  an  Englishman,"  he  adds  hastily,  for  fear  the 


2$6          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAN&. 

Inga  might  be  minded  to  despatch  him  as  having  no  per- 
sonal call  on  his  gratitude. 

"  Ask  him,"  says  I,  "  if  Lady  Biddy,  who  had  his  wife 
freed  from  her  yoke,  lives."  When,  in  response  to  this 
question,  the  Inga  bowed  'his  head,  I  rushed  forward  with 
my  arms  wide  to  embrace  him,  for  my  joy  knew  no  bounds. 
He  let  me  take  his  hand  in  mine,  and  smiled  kindly  to  see 
how  I  was  moved  ;  for  he  also  had  lost  and  found,  being, 
as  I  say,  the  husband  of  that  poor  slave  my  Lady  Biddy 
had  saved.  Then  from  the  bottom  of  his  wallet  he  drew 
out  a  piece  of  the  lace  my  dear  lady  had  given  him,  and 
also  a  thick  tress  of  her  hair  ;  showing  me  that  he  had  yet 
half  a  dozen  arrows  in  his  sheaf  bound  like  those  already 
shot. 

"  Master,"  says  Matthew,  who  had  moved  up  to  my  side, 
and  was  still  in  a  mighty  taking  lest  the  Inga  should  do 
him  a  mischief,  "  while  he  is  in  a  good  humor  do  you  put 
in  a  sign  or  two  to  signify  I  am  your  friend." 

So  I  turned  about,  and  grasped  Matthew's  hand  without 
pretense  (for  I  felt  that  I  owed  him  my  life  and  happiness), 
to  show  that  I  loved  him  much. 

The  Inga  ceased  to  smile,  and  regarded  Matthew  from 
top  to  toe  in  silence  ;  for  these  hunted  Indians  have  need 
of  all  precautions,  being  so  frequently  tricked  by  treacher- 
ous Portugals  ;  and  he  was  the  more  doubtful  of  Matthew 
because  he  spoke  the  Inga  tongue  in  the  manner  of  those 
accursed  Portugals. 

"  Oh,  Lord  !  "  says  Matthew,  "  he  don't  like  the  look  of 
me." 

Then  the  Inga  put  many  searching  questions  to  him 
sharply,  and  might  more  readily  have  believed  his  replies 
but  that  poor  Matthew,  being  of  a  quake  of  his  life,  did 
rub  his  hands  together  as  if  he  were  a-washing  them,  cring- 
ing and  smiling  like  any  chandler,  which  was  altogether 
the  wrong  way  to  win  over  an  Inga ;  for  they  are  a  proud 
race,  but  not  sycophants.  However,  in  the  end  this  Inga 
laid  his  hand  on  Matthew's  breast  (as  he  had  on  mine)  for 
a  sign  of  faith  and  friendship,  which  brought  a  huge  sigh 
of  content  from  the  bottom  of  the  honest  fellow's  heart. 

"  For,"  says  he,"  "  if  we  are  to  go  amongst  these  Indians, 
I  shall  stand  in  need  of  a  friend,  lest  one  of  'em  knows  me 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          257 

for  having  married  into  his  family  without  consent  of  the 
parents." 

"  Ask,"  says  I,  "  where  Lady  Biddy  lies,  and  when  I  shall 
see  her." 

When  Matthew  had  put  the  question,  the  Inga  pointed  to 
the  southwest  ;  and  then  turning  his  hand  towards  the  sun 
lowered  it  to  the  horizon,  to  indicate  that  we  should^not 
overtake  her  before  sunset.  After  looking  around  him  once 
more  searchingly,  he  bade  Matthew  be  silent,  and  so  led 
the  way  down  the  hillside.  But  for  all  this  warning  Mat- 
thew could  not  help  communicating  his  thoughts  to  me  in  a 
low  tone  now  and  then,  for  he  was  a  generous-hearted  fel- 
low in  all  things,  and  was  as  fond  of  the  sound  of  his  own 
voice  as  any  starling. 

"  Look  you,  master,"  says  he,  "  how  gentleness  does  rule 
the  world  above  all  the  craft  and  cunning  of  the  wicked  ; 
for  while  these  sinful  Portugals  could  not  compass  the  ruin 
of  an  unprotected  maid  with  all  their  might,  one  act  of  love 
on  her  part  has  brought  about  their  overthrow,  and  saved 
us  from  the  arrows  of  this  Inga." 

"Ay,  Matthew,"  says  I  ;  "and  if  we  take  Lady  Biddy 
home  to  her  friends,  'twill  be  due  to  your  mercy  when  I  lay 
a  prisoner  in  the  guard-house." 

"  Mercy  !  "  says  he  ;  "  'twas  nothing  of  the  sort  ;  'twas 
but  a  yearning  to  hear  honest  English  once  more,  for  not 
one  of  my  wives  could  I  ever  bring  to  speak  it." 

In  this  manner  we  whispered  our  thoughts  when  the  dif- 
culty  of  getting  to  the  bottom  of  that  valley  did  not  inter- 
fere. 

At  length  we  came  down  to  the  side  of  that  river  we  had 
passed  upon  our  way  to  Valetta  ;  and  here  Matthew  begged 
the  Inga  to  stay  awhile  and  eat  a  bit  df  cold  roast  mutton 
and  a  crust  of  bread  with  us,  as  we  were  pretty  nigh  spent 
one  way  and  another,  having  taken  no  food  since  daybreak. 
The  Inga  agreed  to  this,  and  we  shared  what  was  left  of  our 
food,  and  drained  the  wine-skin. 

"  Master,"  says  Matthew  to  the  Inga,  "  are  we  going  to 
cross  the  river  ?  " 

The  Inga  nodded. 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  says  Matthew.  "  And  we're  to 
swim  it  ? " 


25 8          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Again  the  Inga  nodded. 

"  Now  should  I  be  in  a  bad  way  but  for  tl.is  wine- 
skin," says  Matthew,  "  for  I  can  swim  no  further  than  a  frog 
may  fly." 

"  And  how  is  your  wine-skin  to  help  you,  friend  ?  "  says  I. 

He  winked  his  roguish  eye,  and  putting  his  lips  to  the 
empty  skin  blew  into  it  until  it  was  full  of  his  breath  and 
tight  as  any  blown  bladder. 

"  There,"  says  he,  tying  up  the  mouth,  "  with  that  in  my 
arms  I'll  kick  myself  to  the  other  shore  for  a  wager." 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

MY  LADY    BIDDY    AND  I  MEET    AGAIN,  TO  OUR   JOYFUL  CON- 
TENTMENT. 

A  BOUT  sunset  (as  the  Inga  hadpromised)  we  came  to  the 
£\  place  where  his  tribe  were  encamped,  which  was  amidst 
the  mountains  on  the  further  side  of  the  river,  ap- 
proached by  a  very  intricate  winding  way,  and  so  encom- 
passed with  sharp,  high  rocks  that  no  man  not  acquainted 
with  those  parts  might  find  his  way  thither,  though  he 
searched  a  life-time. 

Coming  through  this  tortuous  defile  to  an  open  space, 
the  Inga,  being  in  advance  some  paces,  suddenly  came  to  a 
halt,  and,  turning  to  me,  pointed  in  silence  to  a  little  ris- 
ing hillock  not  far  distant,  where  stood  my  Lady  Biddy, 
shielding  her  eyes  from  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  with  her 
hand,  and  scanning  the  valley  below. 

For  a  moment  my  heart  stood  still,  feeling  as  if  it  must 
burst  with  the  great  joy  that  flooded  it.  I  think  I  must 
have  cried  aloud  in  my  gladness  (though  I  know  not  what 
I  did),  for  she  turned  that  moment  like  a  startled  doe, 
and  came  running  down  the  hillock  with  her  hands  stretched 
out.  So  I  flew  to  her,  and  we  stood  clasping  each  other's 
hands  and  gazing  into  each  other's  faces,  she  with  a  look  of 
gladness  in  her  face,  yet  a  sad  reproach  in  her  eyes,  as 
though  she  would  ask  me  why  I  had  been  so  long  a-coming. 
But  neither  of  us  could  say  one  word  ;  so  with  a  quick  im- 
pulse, as  if  our  two  minds  were  but  one,  our  silent,  trembling 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  259 

lips  drew  together,  and  we  exchanged  the  first  kiss  they  had 
known  since  we  were  boy  and  girl. 

This  kiss  was  none  but  such  as  a  brother  and  a  sister 
might  have  shared  ;  'twas  not  the  passionate  overthrow  of 
modesty  which  covers  a  maiden's  face  with  blushes,  and 
makes  a  man's  limbs  tremble  under  him  ;  'twas  simply  the 
overflowing  of  a  sweet,  innocent  affection  that  can  find  no 
other  mode  of  expression.  After  that  kiss  we  looked  in 
each  other's  hearts  with  open,  unwinking  eyes,  and  hands 
still  clasped. 

"  Benet,"  says  she  faintly,  "  how  long  we  have  been  sun- 
dered ! " 

"  Have  we  ?  "  says  I,  leading  her  to  a  little  boulder  where 
there  was  room  for  us  to  sit  together. 

"  Why,  an  age  !  "  says  she,  with  a  return  of  her  usual 
merry  laugh.  "  Have  you  not  missed  me  ?  " 

"  Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,"  says  I,  "  there  has  been 
trouble  in  my  heart  ;  but  my  joy  is  so  great  to  be  with  you 
again  that  the  past  seems  naught  but  an  evil  dream.  And 
'twas  no  more  than  a  dream,  the  worst  part  of  it  ;  for  one 
while  I  imagined  you  lost  beyond  recovery,  and  an- 
other while  I  imagined  you  dead  and  eat  up  by  tigers  ;  but 
this  is  real,  and  no  idle  fancy,"  holding  her  sweet  fair 
hand  up  to  look  at  it  and  .make  sure  I  was  not  stark  mad. 
"  But,  Lord,"  says  I,  dropping  my  voice  for  pity,  "  'tis 
much  thinner  than  it  was." 

"  Ay,  I  shall  be  a  sad  old  witch  to  look  at  ere  long,"  says 
says  she  ;  "  'tis  well  I  have  no  glass  to  look  into." 

"  Trust  me  for  a  faithful  mirror,"  says  I,  "  when  I  tell 
you  that  you  never  looked  so  sweet  as  now." 

Indeed,  I  said  no  more  than  the  truth,  as  far  as  my 
judgment  went  in  this  matter  ;  yet  I  saw  that  her  face  was 
not  so  round  as  of  old,  and  her  skin  was  rarely  pale,  so  that 
her  eyes  looked  larger,  darker,  and  more  lustrous  thereby. 
And  thinking  how  she  must  have  suffered  by  fright,  etc., 
to  have  lost  flesh  and  blood  in  this  sort,  I  was  greatly 
moved  with  compassion. 

"  A  joyful  heart  makes  a  bright  face,"  says  she  ;  •'  but 
what  would  it  have  been  like  had  the  Indians  come  back 
without  you  ?  What  would  have  become  of  me  ? " 


26o          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

u  Nay,"  says  I,  "  These  Ingas  would  never  have  harmed 
you." 

"  Is  that  all  ? "  says  she.  "  Do  you  think  I  hold  your 
affection  so  lightly  that  I  could  have  lived  to  forget  you  ? " 

Thus  might  our  conversation  have  run  on  till  she  had 
expressed  all  that  it  was  in  her  simple,  affectionate  heart  to 
say  to  her  kinsman,  but  that  I  became  silent.  For  the 
pressure  of  her  hand  and  kind  looks  did  stir  my  smouldering 
passion  and  fan  it  to  a  flame,  so  I  had  much  ado  to  restrain 
myself  from  flinging  my  arms  about  her  waist  and  drawing 
her  to  my  breast. 

All  the  love  that  a  warm-souled  woman  has  for  a  dear 
brother  she  wished  to  bestow  on  me,  but  I  had  more  than 
innocent  love  in  my  heart.  Still,  I  had  the  sense  to  see 
that  my  own  happiness,  as  well  as  hers,  would  be  blighted 
if  I  let  my  mad  desire  be  known,  and  I  had  also  the 
strength  to  control  it  (God  be  praised  ! ).  Still,  I  dared 
not  trust  myself  too  far,  and  counted  it  best  to  let  go  her 
hand,  and  talk  of  other  matters.  So  getting  up,  as  if  I 
would  look  about  me,  I  begged  her  to  give  me  an  account 
of  all  that  had  happened  to  her.  Whereupon  she  rose 
also,  and  slipping  her  hand  through  my  arm  walked  beside 
me  up  and  down  that  pleasant  spot,  in  the  waning  twilight, 
telling  me  of  her  adventures  ;  how  Lewis  de  Pino  had  told 
her  I  was  gone  on  with  the  first  part  of  the  train,  seeming 
in  an  ill-humor,  which  appeared  less  remarkable  to  Lady 
Biddy  because  I  had  been  particularly  dull  the  day  before  ; 
how,  as  they  went  on  and  came  not  up  with  me,  she  grew 
alarmed,  yet  had  no  means  of  discovering  whether  Lewis 
de  Pino  had  told  the  truth  or  not,  and  so  of  force  went  on, 
yet  with  a  sinking  heart ;  how,  being  brought  to  a  stand  in 
that  narrow  road  in  the  mountain-side  by  the  bridge  being 
gone,  they  were  attacked  with  arrows  from  above  in  such 
sort  that  the  arquebusiers  only  succeeded  in  wounding  one 
of  the  Ingas,  and  were  themselves  shot  down  one  after  the 
other  till  not  a  man  was  left,  even  to  the  Indian  strip- 
ling who  served  De  Pino  for  a  page  ;  how  the  Indians 
then  coming  down  from  above,  she  recognized  amongst 
them  that  poor  slave  whom  she  begged  De  Pino  to  take 
from  her  yoke  ;  and  how  finally  the  dead  Portugals,  being 
rifled  of  their  arms,  were  cast  down  over  the  precipice,  the 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          261 

slaves  liberated  from  their  bonds,  and  they,  with  my  lady 
(who  from  first  to  last  had  been  treated  with  the  utmost 
respect  and  courtesy),  led  back  along  the  mountain-path 
till  they  came  to  a  narrow  way,  by  which  they  descended  to 
the  river.  Also  she  told  me  how  with  signs  she  had  given 
the  Inga  girl  to  understand  her  trouble  about  me,  which 
she  (being  of  a  quick  wit)  readily  comprehended,  and, 
bringing  forward  her  husband  with  further  signs,  bade  her 
know  that  I  should  be  sought  and  brought  safely  to  her, 
etc.  All  these  particulars  agreed  so  well  with  what  Mat- 
thew had  suggested,  and  I  have  set  down,  that  I  need 
not  dwell  upon  them,  but  may  get  on  at  once  with  fresh 
matter. 

The  light  faded  away  over  the  western  mountains  till 
there  was  naught  but  a  faint  glow  beyond  the  dark  peaks, 
and  still  we  strolled  up  and  down,  discoursing  to  one  an- 
other of  our  various  fortunes  ;  and  so  forgetful  was  I  of 
my  late  fatigue  in  the  delight  of  these  moments  that  it  did 
not  enter  my  head  for  some  time  that  my  lady  might  be 
weary  ;  but  suddenly  bethinking  myself  of  my  selfish  dis- 
regard to  her  comfort  I  begged  to  know  if  she  was  not 
weary. 

"  No,"  says  she  gayly  ;  "  'tis  a  relief  to  talk  again,  for  I 
was  getting  heart-sick  of  silence.  But  you,  Benet  ? — men 
do  not  care  to  chatter  as  we  women  do." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  you  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  never 
weary  of  listening  till  you  weary  of  talking."  And  then  I 
ventured  to  tell  her  that  I  counted  this  the  very  happiest 
moment  of  my  life.  Upon  which  she  gave  my  arm  a  little 
kindly  pressure  with  her  hand,  which  sent  a  thrill  of  inex- 
possible  delight  through  every  nerve  of  my  being. 

And  so  she  began  to  gossip  again  as  merrily  as  before, 
which  was  a  great  comfort  to  me,  for  I  could  have  found 
never  a  word  to  say  at  this  time  for  the  tumult  of  joy  in 
my  heart.  1  would  have  lingered  there  till  morning  broke, 
feeling  her  hand  so  lightly  lying  on  my  arm,  and  listening 
to  the  sweet  purling  of  her  gentle  voice  ;  but  presently 
spying  Matthew,  who  had  drawn  up  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance, and  stood  there  humming  and  coughing  as  if  he 
would  speak  with  me,  but  dared  not  approach,  I  be- 
thought me  that  I  had  not  yet  introduced  the  faithful  fel- 


262  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

low  to  Lady  Biddy.  So  I  called  to  him,  and  when  he  drew 
near,  scraping  and  shuffling  with  his  hat  in  hand,  I  said  : 

"  This  is  Lady  Biddy  Fane,  Matthew." 

"  Your  ladyship's  humble  and  obedient  servant,"  says  he, 
with  another  scrape. 

"  My  cousin  has  been  talking  about  you,  Matthew,"  says 
she,  offering  her  hand  to  him  ;  "  and  I  hope  you  will  for- 
give me  being  so  tardy  in  acknowledging  my  gratitude,  for 
in  helping  him  you  have  befriended  me." 

"  As  for  your  ladyship's  gratitude,"  says  he,  "  I  hope  I 
may  yet  lay  better  claim  to  it  ;  and  as  for  tardy  acknowl- 
edgment, 1  count  you  were  better  occupied  ;  while  as  for 
the  rest,"  adds  he,  "  I  wish  you  joy  of  your  sweetheart." 

At  these  words  all  the  blood  rushed  into  my  face,  and 
happy  was  I  there  was  little  light  to  reveal  my  confusion  to 
Lady  Biddy. 

"  How  ?  "  cries  I  angrily  ;  "  have  I  ever  spoken  so  disre- 
spectfully of  my  lady  that  you  should  take  the  liberty  to 
speak  of  me  in  this  relation  ?  " 

"  Lord  love  you,  master  !  no,"  says  he  ;  "  but  'twas  be- 
cause you  always  spoke  of  her  ladyship  with  such  mighty 
respect  that  I  reckoned  she  must  be  something  more  to  you 
than  a  cousin.  I  meant  no  offence  ;  and,  indeed,"  adds 
he,  with  ready  wit,  "  'twould  have  been  but  a  mean  com- 
pliment to  her  ladyship's  charms  or  your  understanding  if  I 
had  set  you  down  for  aught  but  her  admirer." 

"  Ay,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  laughing,  "  and  so  should  I." 
But  I  observed  that  she  was  a  little  more  reserved  towards 
me  after  this,  as  if  she  perceived  the  imprudence  of  giving 
expression  to  those  feelings  of  simple,  innocent  affection 
which  I  might  take  for  an  acknowledgment  of  warmer  senti- 
ment. 


CHAPTER  L. 

WE  TAKE  COUNSEL  OF  THE  INGAS   AS  TO  OUR  FUTURE,  ETC. 

MATTHEW'S  business  was  to  tell  us  that  the  Ingas  were 
waiting  to  hold  council  with  us.     As  soon  as  we  heard 
this  we  hastened  from  that  pleasant,  retired  spot  where 
we  had  been  strolling,  as  I  have  said,  to  join  them,  not  with- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  263 

out  some  self-reproach  for  so  slighting  those  to  whom  we 
owed  better  civility  ;  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  had  clean  for- 
get those  good  Indians,  for  where  my  sweet  lady  stood 
was  all  the  world  to  me,  and  I  was  indifferent  to  all  out- 
side it. 

Coming  beyond  those  jutting  rocks  which  had  screened 
us  from  view  we  perceived  the  Ingas'  camp.  They  had 
built  a  fire  upon  the  further  side  of  a  little  lake,  fed  by  a 
stream  running  from  the  mountains,  in  the  midst  of  the  hol- 
low, and  here  sat  a  score  of  Indians  handling  the  arquebuses 
taken  from  the  Portugals,  and  examining  them  by  the  light  of 
the  fire.  At  a  little  distance  a  dozen  of  their  women  were 
grouped  together  on  their  mats,  about  a  pile  of  pack-saddles 
and  merchandise.  Hard  by  stood  a  couple  of  tents  of  rush 
mats,  very  curiously  woven  and  stained.  These  objects,  lit 
up  by  the  dancing  flames  of  the  fire,  with  the  deep  shade 
of  the  rocks  beyond,  were  a  pleasure  to  see  for  all  who  love 
pictures  of  strange  things  ;  but  that  which  gave  it  the  finish- 
ing touch  was  an  Inga  with  his  spear,  who  stood  on  a  high 
rock,  keeping  guard,  and  cut  the  rising  moon  in  two  halves 
with  his  dark,  handsome  figure. 

When  the  Indians  spied  us  approaching  they  rose  to  their 
feet,  and  their  captain,  coming  to  meet  us  with  a  very  noble 
and  courtly  carriage,  laid  his  hand  on  my  breast,  and  I  did 
likewise  by  him,  seeing  this  was  their  mode  of  greeting. 
Then  the  Indian  woman  whose  life  I  had  saved  came  for- 
ward and  went  though  the  same  ceremony  ;  but,  this  done, 
she  slipped  beside  my  Lady  Biddy  and  began  to  fondle  her 
hand,  stroking  it  gently,  lifting  it  up  to  her  cheek,  etc.,  which 
I  thought  very  pretty. 

I  begged  Matthew  to  make  my  apologies  to  the  captain 
for  not  having  paid  my  respects  to  him  ;  but  this  he  would 
not  do,  telling  me  these  Ingas  were  a  mighty  touchy  sort  of 
people  in  trifles,  and  were  as  like  as  not  to  take  an  apology 
as  an  admission  of  wrong,  and  a  mean  trick  of  getting 
cheaply  out  of  a  mess  one  ought  never  to  have  got  into. 

"  How'mever,"  says  he,  "  I  have  settled  that  matter  by 
telling  him  that  an  Englishman's  first  duty  is  to  pay  his 
services  to  the  females  of  his  tribe,  and,  that  being  done,  you 
are  now  at  liberty  to  devote  all  your  attention  to  him." 

In  this  matter  it  seemed  to  me  Matthew  showed  more 


204          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

sense  than  I  or  many  better  cultivated  men,  who  never  meet 
without  some  paltry  excuse  or  other. 

The  Indians  meanwhile  led  us  to  the  tent,  where  a  supper 
had  been  laid  out  on  a  mat,  and  insisted  very  civilly  on  our 
eating  before  entering  upon  business  :  then  they  withdrew 
to  their  place  by  the  fire,  where  a  space  was  left  in  their  midst 
for  us,  every  man  smoking  tobacco,  for  I  believe  there  is  no 
people  in  the  world  so  given  to  the  use  of  this  herb. 

When  we  had  finished  our  meal,  we  escorted  Lady  Biddy 
to  the  second  tent,  which  had  been  given  for  her  use,  Mat- 
thaw  telling  us  that  the  Indians  never  speak  of  their  affairs 
before  the  sex.  "  Though  why  not,"  says  he,  "  I  can  not 
say,  except  it  be  that  their  females  are  given  overmuch  to 
talk,  which  leads  to  blabbing  of  secrets." 

Lady  Biddy  retained  us  a  minute  at  the  entrance  to  her 
tent  to  show  how  Wangapona,  her  Indian  friend,  had  decked 
the  floor  with  soft  blooms  of  flowers,  and  bound  knots  of 
bright  feathers  to  the  head  and  foot  of  the  net  which  served 
her  as  a  bed  ;  also  placing  for  her  use  a  bowl  of  fresh  water, 
in  which  floated  certain  fruits  to  give  it  flavor  and  sweet- 
ness. Then  bidding  each  other  farewell,  with  a  fervent 
wish  that  we  might  sleep  peacefully,  we  separated  ;  but  she 
did  not  again  offer  to  let  me  kiss  her. 

Coming  to  the  fire  with  Matthew,  we  sat  down  with  the 
Indians,  and  accepted  of  their  tobacco-sticks,  which  they  call 
zigaroes  ;  and  now,  all  smoking  like  so  many  chimneys,  the 
chief  spoke  to  the  matter  in  hand,  every  ene  listening  in 
solemn  silence,  And  first  of  all  he  bade  Matthew  tell  me 
that  every  enemy  of  the  Portugals  and  Spaniards  was  re- 
garded by  them  as  a  friend. 

"  Ay,"  says  the  chief,  in  his  tongue,  "  we  spare  the  lives 
of  those  serpents  and  jagoaretes  that  haunt  the  woods  they 
hunt,  and  pray  to  our  god,  the  Sun,  not  to  dry  up  the  fes- 
tering marshes  that  poison  the  air  they  breathe,  but  to 
nourish  with  his  rays  all  venomous  fruits  that  they  may  eat, 
all  loathsome  reptiles  whose  fangs  and  stings  may  taint 
their  blood,  and  to  give  strength  to  those  beasts  who  tear 
their  flesh  and  break  their  bones. 

"  Our  forefathers,"  he  goes  on,  "  were  mighty  kings,  and 
the  meanest  of  our  people  lived  in  palaces,  to  which  the 
richest  abodes  of  these  accursed  Portugals  are  but  dens 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          265 

and  hovels.  Our  people  spurned  under  their  feet  the  gold 
for  which  our  enemies  sell  their  souls.  Our  men  were 
wise ;  our  women  were  faithful  ;  our  children  were  obe- 
dient :  all  were  happy.  Then  came  this  troop  of  ravening 
jagoaretes  into  our  slumbering  camp.  Jagoaretes  !  Nay, 
'tis  an  insult  to  the  divine  Sun  to  compare  the  basest 
beast  he  has  fashioned  to  a  Portugal.  The  jagoarete 
kills ;  he  does  not  yoke  our  warriors  with  oxen  and  scar 
their  backs  with  whips  ;  he  does  not  put  chains  upon  our 
hopeful  boys  and  doom  them  to  lifelong  pain  ;  he  does  not 
force  our  innocent  maids  to  bear  a  race  of  slaves." 

"  Lord  love  us,  master,"  says  Matthew,  after  translating 
this  to  me,  "  I  hope  he  isn't  going  to  make  a  capital  offence 
of  this  trifle." 

"  We  are  unhappy,"  continues  the  Inga,  sinking  his  voice 
to  a  tone  of  mournful  sadness.  "  Who  can  laugh  in  the  still 
night  ?  The  very  flowers  hang  their  heads  :  in  the  morning 
you  will  find  tears  in  their  eyes.  Our  sun  has  sunk.  Will 
it  ever  rise  again  ? " 

"  Ay,  that  it  will,  I  warrant,"  says  Matthew  to  him 
stoutly. 

The  Indians  held  up  their  hands  as  a  warning  not  to  in- 
terrupt the  chief. 

"They  are  numberless  as  chesketaws*  on  the  lagoons  ; 
they  suck  our  blood  like  vampires  in  the  night ;  we  have 
no  arms  against  them.  We  are  scattered  over  the  land  like 
leaves  after  a  tornado.  Thus  scattered,  what  can  we  do 
against  our  clustering  enemies  ?  We  are  hunted  into  the 
mountains  and  the  desert ;  but  even  there  our  homes  are 
not  safe.  The  world  is  too  small  to  give  refuge  to  the  Inga. 
There  is  no  limit  to  the  envious  greed  of  our  enemies  ;  no 
bounds  to  their  cruel  spite.  They  want  gold,  but  they  will 
not  buy  it  of  us,  for  that  would  give  us  power  and  the 
means  to  live.  They  would  not  have  a  single  Inga  free, 
but  all  should  be  their  slaves,  to  wear  yokes  and  chains, 
and  toil  for  them  without  hope.  Is  it  all  darkness  ?  "  says 
he  piteously,  looking  round  him  ;  "  is  there  no  hope  ?  Yes," 
cries  he,  facing  the  moon  and  stretching  up  his  arms  ;  while 

*  The  chesketaw  is  a  venomous  fly  like  the  mosquito,  but  bigger  and 
more  poisonous. — B.  P. 


266  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

the  bride  smiles,  her  god  lives,  and  the  moon's  god  is  our 
god — the  great  father  of  all." 

With  this  he  slowly  sank  into  his  place  upon  the  mat, 
saying  never  another  word  ;  and  thus  ended  his  speech, 
which  seemed  to  me  to  be  very  fine  for  such  as  he  to 
deliver. 

After  a  few  minutes'  silence,  given  in  respect  to  the  chief, 
that  his  words  might  be  duly  digested,  another  Inga  rose 
and  spoke,  and  his  speech  was  more  practical  and  to  the 
purpose.  He  said  the  tribe  bore  us  a  great  affection,  not 
only  because  were  enemies  to  the  Portugals,  but  also  be- 
cause in  the  face  of  that  foe  I  had  dared  to  strike  up  the 
musket  leveled  at  the  breast  of  Wangapona.  As  our  true 
friends,  they  were  prepared  to  give  more  consideration  to 
our  wishes  than  their  own,  and  therefore  the  first  thing  they 
wished  to  know  was  in  what  manner  they  might  serve  us. 

I  told  Matthew  to  ask  if  they  could  give  us  an  idea  of 
our  position  with  regard  to  the  sea  ;  upon  which  the  chief, 
taking  a  stick  of  wood,  spread  out  the  ashes  of  the  fire  in 
a  plain  to  represent  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  then,  with  a 
handful  of  ashes,  he  built  up  a  very  fair  presentment  of  the 
mountains,  and  after  that  traced  furrows  to  show  the  course 
of  rivers.  That  river  we  had  crossed  he  called  the  Attrato, 
and  another  still  a  good  distance  to  the  west  of  the  moun- 
tains where  we  lay  he  called  the  Cauca,  and  one  yet  further 
west  the  Magdalena  (though  he  had  another-  name  for  it), 
which  joins  the  Cauca  at  some  distance  from  its  disem- 
boguement.  He  also  showed  another  stream  rising  from  the 
mountains  called  the  Meta,  and  this  he  assured  us  flowed 
into  the  Baraquan  or  Oronoque,  through  his  knowledge  of 
the  country  in  that  part  was  limited  to  hearsay. 

"  Now,  Matthew,"  says  I,  "  what  are  we  to  do  ?  Our 
nearest  way  to  the  coast  will  be  to  follow  the  Cauca,  and 
get  into  the  Magdalena,  which  flows  into  the  sea  somewhere 
about  Cartagena." 

"  Ay,"  says  he,  "  but  we  must  know  if  we  are  likely  to 
flow  with  it  into  the  hands  of  the  Portugals." 

To  this  question  on  this  subject  the  Ingas  replied  that 
the  whole  of  that  coast  was  overrun  with  Portugals,  who 
had,  besides,  several  settlements  on  the  Magdalena.  They 
offered  to  guide  us  as  far  as  they  might  go  in  safety, 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          267 

but  could  give  us  no  encouragement  of  escaping  our 
enemies. 

"  Then,"  says  I,  "  we  must  strike  out  for  the  Meta,  and 
so  get  to  the  Baraquan,  where  I  doubt  if  any  Portugals  are 
to  be  met  with." 

The  Ingas  said  they  had  heard  of  no  enemies  save  certain 
tribes  of  hostile  Indians  on  the  Baraquan,  and  promised  to 
guide  us  to  the  Meta,  which  they  counted  as  three  weeks' 
journey. 

"  If  we  take  three  weeks  to  get  to  the  embers,"  says 
Matthew,  regarding  the  plan  of  ashes,  "  Lord  only  knows 
when  we  shall  get  t'other  side  of  the  fire." 

While  we  were  discussing  this  difficulty,  the  Indians 
argued  upon  the  possibility  of  descending  the  Meta. 

"  It  seems  to  be  a  plaguy  difficult  job,  master,  even  to 
these  fellows,  who  are  used  to  traveling  those  parts,"  says 
Matthew.  "  The  open  country  is  impassable  by  reason  of 
the  woods  ;  and  the  river  is  not  much  better  traveling,  by 
reason  of  divers  cataracts,  lakes,  and  blind  inlets,  where 
one  may  be  lost  as  in  a  maze,  to  say  nothing  of  one  part 
where  we  must  go  a  hundred  miles  out  of  our  way  to  avoid 
a  race  of  hungry  cannibals." 

"  Ask  them,"  says  I,  "  if  they  can  offer  any  alternative  by 
which  we  may  come  to  our  friends." 

Upon  this  question  a  great  discussion  ensued,  in  which 
Matthew  took  part. 

"  Well,  Matthew,"  says  I,  growing  impatient,  "  what  is  it 
all  about  ? " 

"  To  begin  with,  master,"  says  he,  "  when  I  told  them  we 
wished  to  join  our  friends,  they  put  the  very  pertinent  ques- 
tion, '  Where  are  they  ? '  That  was  a  poser.  Hows'mever, 
for  the  glory  of  our  country,  I  replied  that  Englishmen 
were  to  be  found  pretty  nearly  everywhere,  especially  where 
they  are  not  wanted.  At  present,  I  told  'em,  we  were 
pretty  well  occupied  in  sweeping  the  seas  of  the  Portugals, 
that  we  had  made  a  very  good  beginning,  and  that  when  we 
had  finished  that  business  we  should  undoubtedly  step 
ashore  and  turn  them  out  of  Guiana.  But  as  we  did  not 
wish  to  wait  here  till  then,  we  should  take  it  as  a  kindness 
if  they  would  put  us  in  the  way  of  getting  to  some  part  of 
the  coast  where  there  were  no  Portugals,  and  we  might 


26fc  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

keep  a  smart  look-out  for  a  passing  vessel  of  our  own 
people." 

"  Was  that  the  whole  subject  of  discussion  ? "  says  I, 
when  he  paused. 

"  No,  master.  They  don't  doubt  anything  I  said,  and 
are  ready  to  believe  that  our  ships  are  as  plentiful  in  the 
seas  as  herrings.  But  herrings  are  not  always  to  be  caught 
when  they  are  wanted,  and  the  possibility  of  our  having  to 
wait  on  the  shore  a  week  before  being  picked  up  by  a  pass- 
ing Englishman  lays  open  the  difficulty  of  finding  any  spot 
on  the  coast  where  we  are  not  likely  to  be  picked  up  first 
by  a  passing  Portugal.  The  west  and  north  coasts  are  to 
be  put  out  of  the  question.  The  only  coast  that  may  be 
safe  is  that  they  know  nothing  about,  to  be  reached  only  by 
the  Baraquan,  of  which  they  know  as  little." 

"  Then  all  this  talk  has  resulted  in  nothing  ? "  says  I. 

"  No,  master,  it  has  not,  but  the  subject  will  have  to  be 
sifted  out  by  us  slowly  ;  and  so  I  will  let  them  know  that 
we  will  give  their  proposal  the  consideration  it  deserves, 
and  let  them  know  our  decision  in  the  morning." 

The  reply  he  gave  evidently  pleased  the  Ingas,  who,  bid- 
ding us  good-night  after  their  fashion,  lay  down  to  sleep, 
while  Matthew  and  I  strolled  in  the  moonlight  to  consider 
the  proposal  they  had  made. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

MATTHEW    AND    I    CONTINUE    THE    DISCUSSION,    BUT    WITH 
SMALL   PROFIT. 

ujl  TASTER,"  begins  Matthew,  "the  Ingas  would  have 
IVl   us  g°  to  their  village,  which  lies,  as  I  take  it,  among 
the  mountains  to  the  west,  nigh  that  river  Meta  they 
have  spoken  about." 

"  There  need  be  no  hesitation  in  agreeing  to  that,"  says 
I ;  "  for  whether  we  resolve  to  make  for  the  north  sea- 
board or  the  west,  this  village  lies  all  in  our  way." 

"  You  are  in  the  right,"  says  he  ;  "  but  they  would  have 
us  stay  there." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  269 

"  That  needs  no  consideration  neither,"  says  I ;  "  for  we 
have  no  mind  to  become  Ingas." 

"  Not  so  fast,  master  ;  hear  me  out,"  says  he.  "  They 
would  have  us  stay  there  until  they  have  drawn  together 
their  scattered  people  in  such  force  as  we  may  assault  the 
Portugals,  and  take  one  of  their  ports." 

"  That  is  easier  said  than  done,  Matthew." 

"  Ay,"  says  he  ;  "  like  descending  the  Baraquan,  but  with 
this  difference — that  in  attacking  a  town  we  can  ascertain 
pretty  fairly  what  opposition  we  shall  have  to  encounter, 
and  what  force  we  have  to  overcome  it  ;  while  in  t'other 
affair  there's  no  knowing  what  obstacle  may  stand  in  our 
way,  or  what  accidents  of  sickness  and  the  like  may  happen 
to  enfeeble  us.  Look  you,  master,  the  furthest  an  English- 
man has  penetrated  into  Guiana  by  the  Oronoque  is  a  mat- 
ter of  thirty  or  forty  leagues,  and  that  with  the  succor  of 
lusty  fellows  well  armed  with  boats  and  stores  ;  now,  what 
we  two  men,  with  no  arms  but  what  we  can  beg  of  the 
Ingas,  and  no  stores  but  what  we  may  carry  on  our  backs, 
propose  to  compass  is  a  journey  through  that  same  Guiana 
by  untrodden  ways  and  broken  waters — a  distance  of  three 
or  four  hundred  leagues,  as  I  reckon  ;  and  with  a  female, 
remember.  Likewise  I  would  have  you  reflect  that  ere  we 
are  many  months  on  our  way,  we  shall  be  overtaken  by  the 
rain,  when  we  must  seek  high  ground,  or  be  swept  away  by 
the  floods  and  torrents  that  pour  through  the  valleys.  For 
you  and  me  a  month  or  two  of  misery,  more  or  less,  may 
count  for  nothing  ;  but  how  is  the  female  to  stand  it,  with 
not  a  dry  thread  to  her  back,  and,  as  like  as  not,  never  a 
bit  of  shoe  to  her  foot  ? 

This  perspective  was  terrible  enough,  and  yet,  as  I  saw 
not  overdrawn,  but  indeed  favorable  in  comparison  with 
the  image  that  presented  itself  to  my  mind,  of  my  poor  lady 
falling  sick  under  the  hardships  of  privation,  and  having  no 
shelter  but  chilly  rocks,  no  remedy,  no  comfort,  nor  any 
hand  to  render  those  services  which  a  woman  can  only  re- 
ceive from  a  woman. 

"  Now,  Matthew,"  says  I,  "  let  me  hear  what  you  have  to 
say  in  favor  of  t'other  venture,  for  I  see  which  song  your 
voice  is  most  in  tune  for." 

'•'  I  will  say  what  I   think,  master,"  says    he,  showing 


270  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

greater  patience  with  me  than  I  with  him,  "  for  I  have  no 
wish  you  should  count  me  wiser  or  more  foolish  than  I  am. 
Yet  that  you  may  not  be  disinclined  to  the  Ingas'  design  by 
thinking  my  wishes  lead  me  to  set  it  out  in  a  fairer  light 
than  it  deserves,  I  must  tell  you  that  I  have  no  relish  for 
meddling  with  the  Portugals.  I  have  seen  enough  of  'em 
to  satisfy  my  stomach  to  the  last  day  of  my  life,  and  would 
rather  end  my  days  in  a  wilderness  than  under  the  walls  of 
a  town.  Anyhow,  master,  I  will  try  to  let  you  see  their 
project  as  they  laid  it  out  to  me.  This  tribe  numbers  about 
a  hundred  men  and  boys  ;  females  count  for  nothing.  Ten 
of  their  number  will  be  left  with  us  in  the  village  ;  the 
rest  will  go  out  to  rouse  up  other  tribes  and  bring  them 
to  their  purpose.  They  will  take  with  them  the  Portugals' 
muskets,  as  a  proof  of  what  they  have  done,  and  I  warrant 
it  will  count  for  something  in  their  inducement  that  they 
have  for  allies  a  couple  of  Englishmen  who  are  accustomed 
to  whipping  Portugals  ;  for  it  is  certainly  in  the  knowledge 
of  these  Indians  that  we  beat  them  out  of  Cartagena  in 
years  gone  by." 

"  How  many  Indians  do  they  think  to  muster  in  this 
business  ? " 

"  Betwixt  three  and  four  hundred,  according  to  the  gen- 
eral opinion,  and. that  within  a  month." 

"  Say  they  gather  together  all  that  they  hope  for,"  says  I, 
"  what  can  a  band  of  naked  savages  do  against  a  town 
fortified  with  guns  and  defended  by  trained  soldiery,  Mat- 
thew  ? " 

"  In  the  first  place,  master,  let  me  tell  you,  'tis  no  incon- 
venient to  fight  without  clothes  in  these  parts.  As  for  their 
guns,  I  doubt  if  they  will  ever  get  a  chance  of  firing  at  us. 
We  shall  take  the  town  by  surprise,  for  these  Ingas  know 
how  to  march  easily  through  the  woods  by  ways  unknown  to 
the  Portugals.  Against  the  trained  soldiery  we  shall  bring 
ten  arquebuses,  with  good  account,  I'll  answer  for  it,  with 
galore  of  bows,  blow-guns,  and  pikes,  all  wielded  by  fellows 
who  are  fighting  for  liberty  and  life." 

"  Supposing  we  carry  the  town,  as  very  probably  we  may, 
what  then  ?  Unless  every  soul  in  the  place  is  massacred 
the  news  must  be  carried  to  the  Portugals,  who  will  lose  no 
time  in  sending  ships  and  men  to  recover  it.  Supposing  the 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          2?  I 

Ingas  can  withstand  an  assault,  how  long  can  they  stand 
out  against  an  organized  siege  ? " 

"  Why,  that's  their  look-out,"  says  Matthew.  "  What  we 
have  at  heart  is  getting  out  of  Guiana,  and  it  will  be  odd 
indeed  if  we  can't  get  some  sort  of  craft  to  bear  us  thence 
ere  the  Portugals  come  down  to  lay  siege  to  the  place." 

"  What,"  says  I,  "  would  you  desert  the  Ingas  after  lead- 
ing 'em  into  this  pitfall  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  says  he,  "  'tis  their  own  wish  to  go  there,  and  they 
know  full  well  we  have  no  wish  to  stay." 

"  Ay,"  says  I  ;  "  but  did  you  warn  them  of  the  vengeance 
the  Portugals  will  certainly  take  ?  No  !  On  the  other  hand, 
with  your  prating  of  our  prowess  on  the  sea,  and  the 
multitude  of  our  ships,  and  drubbings  in  store  for  the  Port- 
ugals, you  may  have  led  them  to  believe  that  we  should 
come  back  with  ships  and  men  to  help  them,  which  can 
never  be  wh/le  we  stand  at  peace  with  the  Portugal." 

Matthew  scratched  his  head  in  silence  for  a  minute,  and 
then  says  he  : 

"  'Twould  be  a  scurvy  trick  to  leave  the  poor  fellows  to 
fight  the  next  battle  alone,  and  that's  a  fact.  If  they  could 
only  hold  their  own — or  anybody  else's." 

"  But  they  can  not,  so  we  must  set  our  faces  against  their 
design." 

"  I  don't  mind  standing  by  'em,  master,  if  you're  minded 
to  let  me  take  the  responsibility  of  this  business  on  my  own 
shoulders.  I  warrant  there's  not  a  soul  alive  in  England 
who  remembers  me,  or  would  care  to  see  me  again." 

"  And  what  would  become  of  you,  my  poor  fellow  ? "  says 
I,  touched  by  the  sadness  of  his  speech.  "  Do  you  think 
you  could  hold  the  town  against  the  Portugals  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  he  ;  "  but  I  wager  I'd  thin  down  the  rascals 
before  they  took  it  from  me." 

"  Come,"  says  I,  "  let  us  think  of  something  else,  for  you 
must  know  this  can  never  be." 

So  I  turned  my  thoughts  to  the  Baraquan,  and  gloomy 
enough  they  were,  so  that  I  had  not  a  word  to  say  ;  but 
Matthew,  thought  his  hopes  were  dashed,  still  revolved  the 
Ingas  and  their  design  in  his  mind,  as  it  appeared,  for 
presently,  breaking  silence,  he  says  : 

"  I  had  no  notion  these  Ingas  were  such  a  fine  set  of 


27*  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

fellows,  which  only  proves  once  again  that  we  should  never 
judge  of  a  flock  of  sheep  by  the  ewes  in  the  pen." 

"  Why,"  says  I,  "  did  you  not  find  your  wives  amiable  and 
kind?" 

"  Ay,"  says  he  ;  "  but  what  does  a  man  want  of  such 
trumpery  as  amiability  and  kindness  ?  "  (As  I  have  tried  to 
show,  he  was  himself  remarkable  for  these  qualities.)  "  Can 
you  tell  me  anything  about  these  Ingas,  master,  for  I  am  no 
schollard?" 

"  Nor  I  neither,  Matthew,"  says  I.  "  I  know  no  more  of 
these  people  than  what  I  have  learnt  from  you  and  my  own 
limited  observation." 

"  You  know  enough  to  perceive  they  are  better  than  the 
common  ruck  of  mankind,  I  warrant,"  says  he,  "  for  they 
have  the  bearing  and  proud  carriage  of  a  noble  race  not 
used  to  base  practices.  For  my  own  part  I  feel  I  could 
trust  'em  with  my  life — as  long  as  they  learn  nothing  to  my 
discredit." 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "they  do  seem,  as  you  say,  a  noble  race  of 
men." 

"  Then  what  a  thousand  pities  it  is,"  says  he,  "  that  they 
should  be  hunted  from  their  homes,  and  worried  to  death 
by  such  a  pack  of  dirty  dogs  as  these  Portugals." 

I  made  no  reply.  Nor  did  he  continue  his  theme  for 
some  time,  but  strolled  beside  me  in  silence,  which  was  odd 
in  him,  who  was  wont  to  utter  his  thoughts  as  they  came 
into  his  head.  Yet  I  perceived  his  mind  was  still  occupied, 
for,  taking  off  his  hat  for  the  greater  convenience  of  scratch- 
ing his  head,  he  would  now  and  again  give  his  thigh  a  slap 
with  it,  muttering  occassionly  betwixt  his  teeth,  though  I 
could  catch  no  words  but  "  dirty  dogs  of  Portugals,"  and 
the  like. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          273 
CHAPTER  LII. 

MATTHEW    LAYS  OUT  A  SCHEME    FOR   STAYING    FIVE    YEARS 
IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

TT7HAT  a  plague  it  is,  master,"  says  Matthew  pres- 

VV  ently — "  what  a  plague  it  is  for  a  man  who  has  no 

learning  to  get  a  good  notion  in  his  mind.     Here 

am  I  like  a  young  blackbird  who  feels  he  has  the  makings 

of  a  sweet  song  in  his  head,  and  yet  can  do  no  more  than 

squeak  out  of  tune." 

"  Nay,  then,"  says  I,  "  do  as  the  blackbird  does — strive 
to  sing,  and  I  warrant  the  tune  will  come  in  time." 

"  Well,  master,"  says  he,  "  to  begin  with,  do  you  think 
these  Ingas,  if  they  gathered  together  and  made  head  against 
the  Portugals,  might  recover  themselves  some  little  corner 
of  their  territory,  where  they  could  live  in  peace  like  Chris- 
tians, and  trade  with  other  nations  ?  " 

"  The  difficulty  is,"  says  I,  "  to  get  them  to  combine 
steadfastly  for  any  length  of  time,  for,  according  to  their 
own  showing,  they  are  divided  into  a  hundred  tribes,  each 
more  or  less  hostile  to  the  other." 

"  Why,"  says  he,  "  that  is  but  the  outcome  of  their  mis- 
fortunes, for  no  men  are  so  snappish  as  those  who  suffer 
continual  persecution.  Do  think  how  ill-tempered  and 
cross-grained  a  wife  will  be  who  has  a  tyrant  for  a  hus- 
band, and  how  buxom  and  cheerful  she  is  whose  spouse  is 
kind.  These  poor  fellows  are  fighting  for  their  lives.  The 
Portugals  will  not  trade  with  them,  or  suffer  others  to  trade, 
so  that  they  get  no  comfort,  and  are  forced  to  seek  subsis- 
tence in  the  woods  ;  then  if  one  finds  a  good  cover  of  game 
he  must  hold  it  against  others  in  order  that  he  may  exist." 

"  All  that  is  very  true,"  says  I  ;  "  but  how  can  their  case 
be  remedied  ? " 

"  By  such  economy  as  is  practiced  among  people  who 
have  not  half  their  resources.  What  would  become  of  our 
peasants,  master,  if  they  lived  only  on  what  they  could  find 
in  the  woods  ?  Now  if  these  Ingas  pitched  upon  a  fertile  and 
healthy  valley  beyond  the  range  of  the  Portugals,  they 
might  enclose  fields  and  breed  creatures  for  their  food  ;  they 
might  till  the  ground  and  grow  proper  fruits  and  grain,  so 


274  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

that  they  would  no  longer  have  to  go  far  afield  for  game 
and  fight  their  brethren  to  hold  it." 

"And  how  would  you  have  them  till  the  ground  when 
they  have  no  iron  plowshares  ?  " 

"  As  for  that,  master,"  says  he,  "  I  have  seen  the  earth 
tilled  with  a  stick  in  Cornwall ;  but  these  might  make  plow- 
shares of  gold  if  they  were  so  minded." 

I  laughed  at  this  notion,  but  bade  him  go  on,  seeing  this 
objection  was  but  a  trifle. 

"  Well,  master,"  says  he,  "  I  take  it,  they  must  have  more 
comfort  by  this  way  of  living  than  they  now  can  get ;  and 
other  tribes,  seeing  their  state,  would  willingly  enough  come 
to  partake  their  contentment.  There  would  still  be  much 
lacking  to  their  estate  ;  but  by  laying  their  plans  carefully, 
and  preparing  themselves  with  arms  and  leaders,  they  might 
in  the  end  take  some  port  from  the  Portugals,  where  the 
country  about  would  give  them  protection  against  assault, 
and  so  come  about  to  open  trade  with  any  nation  who  wished 
to  take  their  commodity  in  exchange  for  what  the  Ingas 
need." 

"  Hold,  Matthew,"  says  I,  "  what  commodity  have  these 
Ingas  to  dispose  of  ?  " 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he,  "  they  have  that  which 
no  other  nation  ever  yet  refused — gold  !  The  Ingas,  with 
their  knowledge  of  these  mountains,  can  easily  produce  you 
gold  by  the  bushel ;  while  the  Portugals,  with  pain,  get  it 
by  the  thimbleful.  And  look  you,  master,  once  the  traders 
know  where  they  can  get  gold  cheap,  they  will  take  means 
to  prevent  the  Portugals  again  closing  that  port.  The  pro- 
ject may  seem  wild  at  the  first  glance,  as  many  another 
achievement  has  looked  in  the  beginning,  but  is  it  impos- 
sible ?  " 

"  It  is  not  impossible,"  says  I  ;  "  but  the  Ingas  must  be 
taught." 

"  To  be  sure,  master.  And  they  are  willing  enough  to 
learn.  All  they  need  is  a  leader,  as  appears  clearly  from 
their  seeking  our  help  against  the  Portugals." 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "  but  where  is  this  teacher  to  be  found  ? " 

"  Not  a  great  way  off,  master.  In  a  word,"  says  he,  "  you 
are  the  man  who  may  save  thousands  from  destruction  by 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          275 

the  Portugals,  and  raise  up  these  poor  Ingas  from  misery 
and  despair  to  happiness  and  prosperity." 

This  proposal  did  fairly  take  away  my  breath,  and  ere  it 
came  again  for  me  to  speak,  Matthew  continues  :  "  When  I 
tell  the  Ingas  that  you  refuse  to  save  yourself  by  the  means 
they  suggest,  because  they  could  not  hold  the  town  and 
would  suffer  disaster,  they  must  needs  regard  you  with  re- 
spect and  admiration,  for  the  virtues  they  do  most  prize  are 
sagacity  and  generosity.  Thus  will  they  be  well  disposed 
to  listen  to  a  scheme  for  their  surer  advantage,  especially 
when  they  know  that  you  will  not  leave  them  untill  they  are 
in  a  condition  to  maintain  the  independence  of  the  state 
you  have  set  up." 

"  And  how  long  do  you  reckon  it  will  take  to  carry  out 
your  project,  Matthew?"  says  I. 

"  Why,  master,  I  count  we  may  do  a  good  deal  in  four  or 
five  years." 

"  Five  years  !  "  says  I,  with  a  gasp. 

"  Ay,  master  ;  but  that's  not  half  the  time  it  would  take 
to  get  down  the  Oronoque.  And  what  are  five  years  when 
you  are  happily  and  profitably  occupied  ?  Will  it  be  a  great 
joy  to  you  to  know  that  you  are  redeeming  these  poor 
folks  ? " 

"  Ay,  to  be  sure,"  says  I  ;  "  but  Lady  Biddy  ?  "  For  she 
had  been  in  my  mind  all  this  time. 

"  Why,  master,  I  mistake  her  ladyship  if  she  is  the  sort 
to  sit  down  and  cry  for  farthingales  in  the  midst  of  wild 
woods.  No,  I  do  rather  count  upon  her  entering  cheerfully 
into  this  business,  and  teaching  the  women,  as  you  teach  the 
men,  with  good  result  for  her  pains,  and  the  blessing  of 
every  wife  and  mother  that  wears  a  tawny  skin." 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "they  could  not  fail  to  be  happier  for  her 
tenderness." 

"  No,  master,  nor  she  for  having  such  a  scope  for  her 
tenderness.  There's  many  a  thing  I  might  teach  'em  for  I 
have  earned  wages  as  a  blacksmith  and  a  carpenter  in  my 
time.  And  if  lords,  as  I  have  heard,  do  live  to  get  drunk, 
to  hunt,  and  go  gallanting,  then  may  you  live  here  like  the 
best  of  'em  ;  for,"  says  he,  dropping  into  his  customary  vein 
of  humor,  "  you  may  have  a  score  of  sweethearts,  and  not  a 
man  to  say  you  nay  ;  hunt  without  fear  of  trespassing  on 


3J6  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

\  another  lord's  preserves  ;  and  'twill  be  odd  if  amongst  the 
\  blessings  of  civilization  we  can  not  make  up  some  sort  of 
liquor  to  get  drunk  on." 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

MY   CONSCIENCE  GETS  THE    BETTER  OF    DESIRE,  AND  A   BIRD 
BRINGS  GREAT  JOY  TO  MY  DEAR  LADY. 

"  \  FASTER,"  says   Matthew,  "let  us  try  and  snatch  a 

IVl  wink  of  sleep,  for  'tis  late,  and  the  Ingas  are  early 
risers.  Moreover,  we  shall  do  well  to  see  how  this 
design  appears  in  the  daylight,  for  I  have  known  many  a 
scheme  that  wore  an  excellent  complexion  over-night — like 
certain  females — not  worth  two  straws  in  the  morning.  In- 
deed," adds  he,  "  we  might  with  advantage  keep  this  busi- 
ness to  ourselves  and  say  not  a  word  of  it  to  any  one  until 
we  know  these  Ingas  better,  and  judge  whether  they  are 
ripe  enough  or  too  far  gone  for  preservation." 

I  could  but  agree  with  him  in  this  prudent  suggestion, 
and  so  we  bade  each  other  good-night,  and  laid  ourselves 
down  in  a  pleasant  spot. 

But  I  could  not  close  an  eye  all  the  night  for  consider- 
ing of  this  mighty  project,  and  the  more  I  thought  about  it 
the  more  I  liked  it.  Yet  was  I  not  so  blind  but  that  I  per- 
ceived the  difficulties  which  lay  in  the  way  of  one  man  rais- 
ing a  downtrodden  and  helpless  people  into  a  body  of  such 
force  as  to  overthrow  the  Portugals  and  hold  their  own 
hereafter.  I  knew  I  was  only  an  ordinary  man,  with  no 
special  aptitude  for  governing  men  ;  nevertheless  I  thought 
that,  with  Lady  Biddy  at  hand  to  temper  my  judgment  with 
her  practical  good  sense,  I  might  yet  manage  to  come  out 
pretty  well  in  the  end. 

And  so  all  through  the  night  I  lay  revolving  my  plans  for 
the  future  without  perceiving  the  folly  of  them  any  more 
than  if  I  had  been  reasonably  sleeping  and  these  thoughts 
had  taken  the  form  of  a  dream. 

As  soon  as  the  Ingas  began  to  stir  I  roused  up  Matthew, 
who  was  so  heavy  with  sleep  that  I  believe  he  would  have 
willingly  abandoned  his  scheme  of  regenerating  the  In- 
dians on  the  moment  for  the  sake  of  another  five  minutes' 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  277 

doze,  and  bade  him  let  our  friends  know  at  once  that  we 
could  have  nothing  to  do  with  their  plan  of  attacking  the 
Portugals. 

"  Nay,"  says  he,  "  I'll  hold  my  tongue  on  that  matter  un- 
til we  have  decided  upon  t'other  ;  they  will  more  readily 
believe  in  your  wisdom  if  they  see  you  are  not  in  a  hurry." 

If  I  had  taken  these  words  to  heart  I  might  have  seen 
what  a  fool  I  was  ;  for  here  had  I  settled  to  take  upon  my- 
self the  most  serious  responsibility  with  rather  less  hesita- 
tion than  I  should  have  given  to  swallowing  a  toadstool. 

We  journeyed  all  that  day  and  the  next  through  the 
mountains,  coming  a  little  before  nightfall  within  sight  of 
the  river  Cauca  ;  but  we  were  still  at  a  prodigious  height, 
so  that  we  were  forced  to  rest  there  again. 

An  Inga  pointed  down  to  a  part  of  the  valley  where  their 
village  lay,  but  we  could  see  nothing  of  it  for  the  woods 
that  lay  everywhere  about  like  a  thick  mat.  The  sight  of 
these  vast  unbreken  woods  took  me  aback  somewhat,  for 
my  imagination  had  figured  some  gentle  grassy  slope  that 
would  serve  as  pasturage  for  our  cattle  ;  and  Matthew 
seemed  likewise  to  have  fostered  a  pleasing  hope  of  open 
country,  for  turning  to  me,  with  a  rueful  look  in  his  honest 
face  and  round  eyes,  he  says — 

"  Master,  I  perceive  we  shall  have  to  goa-felling  trees." 

"We  shall  see,"  says  I,  putting  on  an  air  of  indifference  ; 
"  from  this  point  to  be  sure,  the  land  looks  somewhat  en- 
cumbered "  (he  nodded  assent),  "  but  we  may  find  elsewhere 
a  space  where  there  are  not  so  many  trees." 

"  I  hope  to  God  we  may,  master,"  says  he,  "  for,  besides 
that,  these  trees  are  mighty  big,  and  most  of  'em  like  any 
iron  and  brass  for  toughness  ;  I  doubt  if  the  Ingas  have 
ever  a  saw  or  a  hatchet  to  lay  our  hands  to." 

We  turned  away  in  silence,  and  I  think  Matthew  was 
nothing  loth  to  set  the  subject  aside  and  go  to  sleep  in 
quiet  and  peace,  for  I  had  kept  him  awake  all  the  night  be- 
fore laying  out  my  schemes,  consulting  him  as  to  the  build- 
ing of  houses,  the  digging  of  water-courses,  the  setting  up 
of  smithies,  workshops,  and  the  like — indeed  my  enthu- 
siasm bore  me  along  to  such  lengths  that  towards  daybreak 
I  got  naught  but  grunts  in  reply  to  my  questions,  for  the 
fellow,  though  he  continued  to  keep  his  body  in  a  sitting 


2?8          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

posture,  could  no  longer  manage  to  resist  sleep.  Nor  had 
I  grown  cool  upon  this  business  during  the  day,  but  when- 
ever occasion  offered  to  talk  with  Matthew  privily,  I  pur- 
sued the  same  theme,  so  that  I  do  truly  believe  there  was 
nothing  left  unsaid.  Wherefore,  as  I  say,  he  was  in  nowise 
put  out  by  my  present  silence,  but  hied  him  to  a  remote 
place  where  he  might  lie  at  full  length  and  sleep  with  his 
ears  shut. 

Going  back  with  the  Ingas  to  where  the  tents  had  been 
set  up,  we  were  met  by  Lady  Biddy  and  Wangapona,  who 
held  her  hand.  The  girl  ran  to  her  husband's  side,  and  I, 
taking  my  lady,  led  her  to  the  point  that  overlooked  the  val- 
ley. On  the  way  she  laughed  merrily  as  she  told  me  of  her 
endeavor  to  learn  a  few  Indian  words  from  Wangapona  ; 
but  being  come  there  she  became  of  a  sudden  silent,  and 
looked  over  that  immense  sweep  of  wilderness  that  stretched 
from  our  feet  right  down  to  the  river,  and  then  up  to  the 
mighty  mountains  beyond,  in  wondrous  admiration.  And 
when  she  spoke,  her  voice  was  awed  to  a  low  tone. 

"  How  magnificently  grand  it  is,  Benet,"  says  she,  "  and 
yet  how  melancholy  !  These  mountains  and  forests — so 
old,  so  grand,  so  silent — seem  to  reproach  us  for  spending 
our  little  life  so  lightly." 

"  Is  the  reproach  merited  ?  "  says  I ;  "  are  we  right  to 
spend  our  lives  lightly  ? " 

"  Nay,"says  she  ;  "  I  can  not  think  it  wrong  to  employ  the 
faculties  that  are  given  us  for  our  enjoyment.  You  would 
not  tear  the  wings  from  a  butterfly  because  it  is  less  labor- 
ious than  the  worm  that  creeps !  "  Then,  turning  her  won- 
dering eyes  over  that  vast  wilderness,  she  adds  sadly,  "  Sure, 
these  wilds  are  not  for  men  to  live  in." 

"  The  Ingas  live  in  the  midst  of  it,"  says  I,  pointing  down 
into  the  valley. 

"  Then  shame  on  those  who  have  forced  them  to  such  an 
existence,"  says  she,  for  I  had  told  her  how  the  Portugals 
had  driven  them  from  their  cities.  Then,  with  a  tender 
sigh,  "  Poor  souls  !  "  says  she,  "  no  wonder  they  never  laugh. 
The  stillness  of  these  mountains  and  the  sadness  of  the 
woods  have  filled  their  hearts." 

These  words  went  home  to  my  conscience  ;  and  just  as  a 
soap-bubble  at  the  slightest  touch  will  burst — its  perfect 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  279 

shape  and  bright  colors,  that  were  a  delight  to  the  eye,  dis- 
appearing in  an  instant,  leaving  naught  behind  but  the  drop 
of  murky  water  from  which  it  sprang — so  did  all  those  fine 
colorable  hopes  in  which  I  had  joyed  for  two  whole  days  and 
nights  vanish  quite  away  at  this  prick,  giving  me  to  con- 
template the  selfish,  paltry  motive  that  gave  'em  birth. 

I  took  my  lady  in  silence  back  to  the  tent,  and,  having 
bidden  her  good-night,  I  hied  me  again  in  great  dejection 
to  the  rock,  whence  the  valley  looked  now  more  gloomy 
and  awesome  than  before,  for  the  creeping  darkness  ;  and 
there  sitting  down  I  took  myself  plainly  to  task.  For  I  did 
now  plainly  discern  that  I  had  been  cheating  and  deceiving 
myself  with  false  pretences,  with  a  view  to  cheating  and  de- 
ceiving my  dear  Lady  Biddy  after.  Why  had  I  leapt  so 
readily  at  Matthew's  scheme  ?  Not  for  the  sake  of  the  un- 
happy Ingas,  but  for  my  own  delight  ;  not  because  a  gen- 
erous emotion  moved  me  to  rescue  them  from  the  Portu- 
gals,  but  because  of  a  base  and  selfish  desire  to  keep  Lady 
Biddy  in  the  wilderness,  sundered  from  her  friends  and 
companions  by  necessity  ;  not  to  advance  the  welfare  of 
others,  but  to  stave  off  the  inevitable  moment  when  my  lady 
and  I  must  part  forever.  Nor  could  I  excuse  myself  by 
'pleading  ignorance  of  any  harmful  intention,  for  surely  I 
must  have  felt  in  my  heart  that  this  design  was  not  to  my 
lady's  advantage,  since  I  had  not  dared  to  mention  one 
word  of  it  to  her.  That  in  myself  was  enough  to  convict 
me  of  wickedness. 

Looking  down  into  the  valley,  which  had  now  became  a 
black,  unfathomable  gulf,  I  repeated  Lady  Biddy's  words — 
"  These  wilds  are  not  for  men  to  live  in  ";  and  then  again, 
"  Would  you  tear  the  wings  from  a  butterfly  ?  "  and  after 
that,  "  Poor  souls  !  no  wonder  they  never  laugh."  And 
each  phrase  was  a  reproach  that  did  stab  my  heart  like  an 
avenging  knife  ;  for  I  had  in  my  wishes  doomed  her  whom 
I  loved  to  dwell  in  this  gloom.  I  had  meditated  robbing 
her  of  all  the  cheerful  delights  of  youth  and  liberty.  I  had 
planned  to  silence  her  merry  laughter,  and  overcast  that 
bright  young  face  with  the  wan  cast  of  grief  and  despair. 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  springing  up,  "  I  will  stay  not  a  day 
longer  in  these  wilds  than  I  can  help.  We  will  go  hence. 
What  matter  how  perilous  and  wearisome  the  way  if  she 


a8o  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

have  hope  to  strengthen  her  heart  ?  With  God's  help  I 
will  comfort  her  pillow  every  night  with  some  prospect  of 
better  fortune  on  the  morrow." 

Just  at  that  moment  I  heard  in  the  woods  below  the  cry 
of  a  bird  that  had  often  filled  Sir  Harry  and  me  with  amaze- 
ment and  delight  (which  bird  I  have  since  heard  called  by 
the  Ingas  Arara),  and  this  put  me  in  mind  how  I  might 
dispel  from  my  lady's  mind  those  gloomy  thoughts  inspired 
by  the  sight  of  the  valley  ;  so  coming  to  her  tent  I 
scratched  gently  on  one  of  the  mats  to  know  if  she  were 
asleep,  as  I  did  use  to  do  when  we  were  imprisoned  on  the 
pirate  ship. 

"  Is  that  you,  Benet  ?  "  says  she  from  within. 

"Ay,"  says  1  !  "if  it  be  not  too  great  trouble,  do  come 
hither  and  listen." 

So  presently  she  came  out,  and  no  sooner  had  she  stood 
listening  a  minute,  but  she  cries  in  a  trembling  voice  : 

"  Oh,  Benet,  'tis  the  bell  of  Falmouth  church— hark  !  " 

We  stood  quite  silent  again,  and  there  came  faintly  to 
our  ears,  "  Dong,  dong — dong,  dong — dong,  dong  !  "  to 
which  we  listened  till  it  ceased  and  came  no  more. 

"  What  is  it,  Benet  ? "  says  she,  not  louder  than  a  whis- 
per. 

"  Tis  but  a  bird,"  says  I ;  "  but  I  take  it  Providence  has 
winged  it  hither  for  a  promise  and  sign  that  ere  long  you 
shall  hear  Falmouth  bells  again." 

"  Oh  !  Benet,  Benet,"  says  she,  choking  with  tears  of  joy, 
"  how  good  you  are  !  "  and  with  that  she  pressed  my  hand 
and  went  back  to  her  tent. 

"  God  grant  that  I  be  worthier  of  such  esteem,"  says  I  to 
myself  in  passion. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

WE    PART    COMPANY    WITH    OUR    RIGHT    GOOD    FRIEND    PEN- 
NVFARDEN,    TO    OUR    COMMON    SORROW. 

IN  the  morning  I  told   Matthew  that  I  had  resolved  to 
abandon  my  design  of  staying  amongst  the  Ingas,  which 
he  assured  me  he  was  heartily  glad  to  hear. 
"  For,"  says  he,  "  the  more  you  have  praised  the  scheme 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          281 

and  enlarged  upon  it,  the  more  difficulties  and  dangers  I 
have  perceived,  till,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  have  more  than 
once  wished  myself  at  Gilkicker  before  I  ever  put  such  a 
notion  into  your  head.  For  look  you,  master,  a  man  may 
be  thrown  from  his  horse  in  a  twinkling,  but  it  takes  him  a 
plaguy  long  time  to  catch  the  steejd  and  get  up  in  the  sad- 
dle again.  Whereby,  if  these  Ingas  have  been  a  matter  of 
a  century  or  two  sinking  into  their  present  condition,  we 
may  safely  argue  that  we  should  be  pretty  old  before  we 
restored  them  to  their  former  estate.  In  the  mean  while,  as 
it  seems  to  be  the  fashion  all  the  world  over  to  cut  your 
king's  head  off  as  soon  as  he  grows  tiresome,  we  should 
have  stood  in  a  fair  way  to  go  to  the  block  whenever  we 
ventured  to  improve  the  condition  of  our  people.  You  will 
say  that  this  is  a  trifling  matter  to  a  man  under  the  sacred 
call  of  duty  (though  for  my  own  part  I'd  as  soon  have  my 
head  cut  off  with  a  knife  as  die  abed  of  a  colic),  yet  it 
won't  do  to  be  carried  away  by  our  own  views  of  pleasure  : 
we  must  consider,  as  doubtless  you  have,  that  we  have  a 
female  on  our  hands,  and  ought  to  avoid  placing  her  in  an 
awkward  position." 

I  believe  the  fellow  would  have  run  on  in  this  fashion 
half  an  hour  ;  but,  cutting  him  short,  I  bade  him  tell 
the  Ingas  at  once  of  our  decision,  and  this  he  presently 
did. 

They  heard  him  out  patiently,  but  whether  they  were 
cast  down  or  not  by  our  refusal  to  join  in  their  enterprise 
we  could  not  judge,  for  they  suffer  themselves  to  betray  no 
sentiment  which  may  detract  from  their  manhood,  and 
count  all  expressions  of  joy  and  sorrow  as  a  weakness  only 
fit  for  women  and  children.  And  it  seems  they  do  in  all 
things  shape  their  conduct  (as  far  as  they  may)  in  keeping 
with  the  carriage  of  their  god,  the  Sun  ;  for  when  Matthew 
told  them  we  hoped  our  refusal  would  not  hinder  them 
from  putting  us  on  our  way  to  reach  the  Baraquan,  the 
chief  replied  that  they  had  given  their  promise  to  do  so, 
and  would  not  go  from  their  word. 

"  For,"  says  he,  lifting  his  hand,  "  does  the  Sun  cease  to 
complete  his  course  because  of  a  chilling  cloud  ?  He  gets 
to  his  height,  and  the  clouds  part ;  he  goes  his  way  and 
looks  back  kindly  on  the  golden  streak  which  was  an  inky 


a82          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

cloud.  Should  we  be  worthy  children  to  disregard  out 
father's  teaching  ? " 

"  This  is  well  for  us,"  says  Matthew,  when  he  had  trans- 
lated this  speech  ;  "  for  if  these  fellows,  instead  of  follow- 
ing their  deity,  were  guided  by  their  devil — as  are  nine- 
tenths  of  the  rest  of  humanity — we  should  be  in  a  pretty 
pickle." 

We  reached  the  Ingas'  village  about  midday,  which  was 
naught  but  a  barren  piece  of  ground  fenced  about  with 
stakes  at  a  little  distance  from  the  river,  and  screened  from 
observation  by  a  thick  growth  of  trees  and  bushes.  Their 
nets  hung  between  trees,  and  half  a  dozen  canoes  lay 
ready  to  be  carried  to  the  water.  These,  with  a  beggarly 
account  of  pots  and  vessels  made  of  gourds,  constituted  all 
their  belongings. 

The  men  met  each  other  with  forced  composure,  the 
victors  showing  no  sign  of  triumph,  and  those  of  the  village 
none  of  envy,  and  yet  it  was  clear  to  see  as  they  handled 
the  arquebuses,  examined  the  stores  carried  by  the  mules, 
and  regarded  the  captured  slaves  and  ourselves,  that  they 
regarded  this  foray  as  no  small  matter.  Until  the  men 
had  done  talking  together,  the  women  stood  apart  in  sil- 
ence, not  daring  to  approach  their  lords  before  they  were 
bidden  ;  but  it  was  touching  to  see  how  they  stood  there, 
taking  no  heed  of  us  or  of  each  other,  but  watching  their 
men  with  eager,  loving  eyes,  ready  to  dart  forward  at  the 
first  permitting  signal. 

"  How  do  they  justify  this  treatment  of  their  women, 
Matthew  ? "  says  I.  "  The  Sun  shines  on  men  and  women 
alike  ;  but  here  the  poor  souls  are  left  in  the  shade." 

"  Their  turn  will  come,"  says  he  ;  "  and  'tis  clear  by  the 
faces  of  the  women  that  they  are  loved.  As  for  justifica- 
tion, I  have  no  doubt  they  will  tell  you  that  the  Sun  touches 
first  the  mountain-tops,  and  descends  afterwards  to  the 
little  hills  ;  and  for  that  matter — with  all  respect  to  your 
ladyship  "  (giving  a  scrape  to  Lady  Biddy) — "  I  doubt  if 
the  females  have  any  reason  to  complain  ;  for  I  have 
observed  that  those  who  dwell  in  high  places,  though  they 
get  more  observation  and  admiration  than  others  do,  have 
but  a  chilly  time  of  it,  while  they  who  hold  a  moderate 
height  enjoy  an  agreeable  warmth.  Hows'mever,"  says  he, 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          283 

let  us  leave  'em  to  themselves  awhile,  for  I  see  they  are 
going  to  hold  a  meeting,  and  we  shall  do  well  to  lay  our 
heads  together  likewise." 

I  had  not  left  my  Lady  Biddy's  side  in  descending  the 
mountain,  but  Matthew  had  walked  three  parts  of  the  way 
conversing  with  the  Ingas,  and  for  the  fourth  part  had 
fallen  behind  us  and  walked  in  silence,  whence  I  gathered 
there  was  something  weighty  on  his  mind.  And  so  it 
presently  appeared,  for  as  soon  as  we  were  seated  together 
on  that  part  of  the  enclosure  where  the  canoes  lay,  he 
began  as  follows : 

"I  have  been  questioning  the  Ingas,  your  ladyship, 
about  getting  down  the  Oronoque,"  says  he,  "  and  it  seems 
to  me  a  more  hopeful  business  than  when  we  first  looked 
at  it,  thanks  be  to  God.  If  I  have  not  been  quite  so  chatty 
as  I  used  to  be,  and  look  a  little  bit  chop-fallen  at  this 
present,  I  do  beg  you  to  believe  it  is  not  by  reason  of  any- 
thing the  Ingas  have  told  me,  but  on  another  account. 
When  you  reach  the  River  Meta  they  will  obtain  a  canoe 
from  a  friendly  tribe  that  dwells  there,  and  furnish  you 
with  store  of  things  necessary  to  your  journey  ;  and  also, 
by  means  of  cut  sticks,  which  pass  among  them  for  letters, 
they  will  give  you  the  means  of  securing  help  from  other 
tribes  that  you  may  meet  with.  And  with  their  help  I 
doubt  not  but  you  will  come  safe  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Oronoque." 

"  But,  Matthew,"  says  I,  "  you  speak  as  if  you  were  not 
coming  with  us.  Have  you  the  heart  to  leave  us  after 
sharing  our  fortunes  thus  far?" 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,  no.  I  haven't  the  heart  to  leave 
you,  and  that's  the  fact,"  says  he,  with  a  wry  face  and  a 
scratch  of  his  head.  "  There's  nothing  in  the  world  would 
please  me  better  than  to  go  this  journey  with  you,  for  I  do 
love  you  with  all  my  soul.  But  the  best  things  in  this 
world  are  put  here  for  us  to  look  at  and  not  to  have, .and 
we  must  put  up  with  what  we  can  get,  and  be  grateful  to 
Providence  it's  no  worse.  Tis  in  this  way,  your  ladyship. 
At  the  mouth  of  the  Oronoque  you  would  be  as  badly  off 
as  you  are  here,  if  there  was  no  one  there  to  meet  you  ; 
nay,  worse,  for  here  you  have  friends,  and  there  you  would 
stand  a  chance  of  finding  naught  but  enemies,  wherefore  I 


284  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

design  to  go  down  this  river  to  Cartagena,  or  elsewhere,  as 
may  be  expedient,  and  thence  go  in  quest  of  your  uncle, 
that  he  may  come  up  the  Oronoque  to  meet  you.  'Tis  but 
a  chance  that  I  find  him,  to  be  sure  ;  yet  help  of  some  kind 
I  will  bring  to  you  by  hook  or  by  crook,  I  warrant,  and 
certain  am  I  that  I  may  serve  you  better  in  this  manner 
than  in  any  other,  or  I  could  not  screw  up  my  courage  to 
part." 

"  Nay,"  says  Lady  Biddy,  "  why  should  we  part  ?  Can  not 
we  all  descend  to  Cartagena  ? " 

"  No,  your  ladyship,"  says  he,  with  a  rueful  shake  of  his 
head.  "  Your  face  marks  you  out  for  observation  ;  your 
speech  would  betray  us,  and  we  should  be  undone." 

"  But  how  can  we  consent  to  let  you  run  a  risk  that  we 
dare  not  encounter  ?"  says  she. 

"  Alone  my  risk  is  small,"  says  he,  "  for,  as  Master  Benet 
knows,  I  have  a  famous  preservative  against  the  touch  of 
Portugals  in  certain  berries  that  produce  a  distemper  of  my 
skin,  which  will  serve  my  turn  to  a  marvel  at  this  season 
when  pestilence  is  rife.  I  pray  you,  do  not  think  of  me, 
but  only  of  yourself  ;  or  if  your  generous  disposition  will 
not  suffer  that,  then  think  of  your  poor  uncle  and  friends, 
to  whom  your  absence  must  be  torture,  and  so  let  me  go 
my  way  with  further  discussion." 

However,  we  could  not  thus  suddenly  agree  to  this  pro- 
ject, and  racked  our  invention  to  devise  some  better  expe- 
dient ;  but  there  was  none,  and  so  were  we  forced  at  length 
to  yield  to  his  going,  but  with  bitter  regret,  for  we  stood  in 
need  of  a  friend,  and  sure  no  man  was  ever  a  more  cheerful, 
sensible,  and  devoted  comrade  than  our  poor  Matthew. 

When  the  time  came  for  him  to  depart,  the  Ingas  made 
him  a  handsome  present  of  a  canoe,  stored  with  dried  flesh 
(which  they  call  buecari),  cassavy  bread,  etc.,  besides  one  of 
the  Portugal's  swords  and  a  good  knife  ;  and  Lady  Biddy 
gave  him  a  little  chain  she  wore  about  her  neck  as  a  token  ; 
but  I  had  nothing  to  give  him,  save  a  paltry  brass  tobacco- 
box,  which  I  had  managed  to  keep  through  all  my  accidents  ; 
but  I  do  think  he  was  as  well  pleased  to  have  this  as  if  it 
had  been  a  purse  of  a  thousand  crowns. 

When  he  pushed  off  from  the  shore  into  the  midst  of  the 
current  he  waved  his  hat  and  cried  to  us  "  Farewell  "  very 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  285 

cheerily,  yet  I  knew  by  my  own  feeling  that  his  heart  was 
sore.  And  we  cried  to  him  "  Farewell  "  as  happily  as  we 
could,  but  I  could  not  see  him  presently  for  the  tears  that 
came  into  my  eyes.  "  As  like  as  not,"  says  I  to  myself,  "  we 
shall  never  meet  again." 

Then  Lady  Biddy,  seeing  my  dejection,  slips  her  hand 
through  my  arm  in  silence,  to  remind  me  that  I  had  yet  a 
friend  ;  whereupon  my  heart  leapt  from  despondency  to 
joy,  and  I  though,  "  What  matters  it  if  all  the  world  be  lost 
so  that  this  dear  soul  is  left  to  me  ?  "  Yet  I  felt  the  more 
that  night  for  poor  Matthew,  because  he  had  no  such  com- 
fort in  the  cheerless,  lonely  wilds. 


CHAPTER  LV. 

WE  GO  DOWN  THE  META,  MY  DEAR  LADY  AND  I — THE 
PLEASANTEST  JAUNT  HEART  OF  MAN  COULD  DESIRE. 

WE  set  out  from  the  River  Cauca  with  the  whole  tribe 
of  those  Ingas,  the  effects,  and  the  captive  women  and 
spoil  taken  from  the  Portugals  ;  for  they  were  still 
minded  to  raise  their  people  to  carry  war  into  the  strong- 
holds of  their  enemies,  and  counted  to  bring  other  tribes  to 
their  intent  by  a  display  of  their  force,  and  the  trophies  of 
their  victory.  And  so  in  a  long  line,  with  the  ablest  men 
to  the  fore  spying  the  way,  we  traveled  painfully  through 
the  desert  wilds,  crossing  the  River  Magdalena  by  a  toler- 
able ford,  besides  many  mountains  and  valleys  of  prodig- 
ious proportions  ;  for  there  is  no  country  in  the  world  where 
the  mountains  are  so  high  and  steep,  and  the  valleys  so 
deep  and  bushy,  I  do  think  ;  and  how  we  made  our  way, 
yet  keeping  a  fairly  true  course,  is  a  mystery  to  me,  for  one 
half  the  time  we  never  saw  the  sky  for  the  umbrage  of  trees 
and  the  other  half  never  a  blade  of  grass  for  the  stony  bar- 
renness of  the  rocks. 

At  the  end  of  six  weeks  and  three  days  we  came  to  the 
great  River  Meta,  which  was  as  long  again  as  the  Ingas  do 
usually  take  for  that  journey,  by  reason  that  in  many  places 
a  way  had  to  be  hewn  for  the  passage  of  the  mules,  where 
the  Indians  might  readily  have  slipped  through  in  their 


286  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

nakedness.  However,  though  by  this  delay  we  lost  in  one 
respect  we  made  profit  by  it  in  another  ;  for  not  only  did 
my  Lady  Biddy  and  I  pick  up  enough  of  their  words  to 
make  ourselve  understood,  which  later  on  served  us  in  good 
stead,  but  also  we  learnt  great  store  of  things,  for  want  of 
which  we  might  have  been  sorely  pestered  when  we  had  no 
hands  to  help  us  but  our  own.  Thus  we  learnt  to  make  ex- 
cellent bread  from  the  root  of  the  cassavy — which,  made 
properly,  is  as  good  as  any  loaf  of  wheat  flour,  and  yet  for 
want  of  proper  attention  may  poison  you  so  that  you  die  of 
it  in  an  hour.  Also  they  showed  me  how  to  make  a  canoe 
with  the  bark  of  a  tree,  sewn  up  at  each  end,  and  smeared 
over  with  the  gum  of  caoutchoucona,  a  most  admirable 
natural  juice,  which  hardens  quickly,  and  is  as  water-tight 
as  any  Sweden  pitch.  Likewise,  to  our  great  comfort,  we 
were  shown  a  sweet-smelling  herb  called  caccanowa,  from 
which  issues  a  thin  oil  that  no  flies  or  insects  can  abide  ;  so 
that  by  rubbing  the  skin  therewith  one  may  sleep  all  night 
and  never  once  be  bitten  by  any  scorpion,  moskitaw,  or 
ant.  And  besides  this  we  learnt  their  mode  of  kindling  fire, 
which  is  ten  times  better  than  our  fashion  of  striking  flint 
and  steel  together  ;  and  this  they  do  by  making  an  engine  of 
two  pieces  of  cane  like  a  child's  popgun,  only  that  the  ends 
of  these  canes  are  open  at  one  end  and  closed  at  the  other. 
In  the  bottom  of  the  bigger  cane  they  put  a  store  of  pow- 
dered touch-wood  ;  then  slipping  in  the  smaller  cane,  which 
serves  as  a  rammer,  they  give  it  a  smart  blow  with  the  hand, 
and  this  sets  fire  to  the  tinder,  though  as  how  it  passes  my 
comprehension.  In  short,  we  picked  up  more  knowledge 
of  herbs,  fruits,  flowers,  birds,  beasts,  and  fishes,  with  the 
divers  manners  of  rearing  them,  with  properties  of  others 
things,  their  uses,  etc.,  in  those  six  weeks  than  I  could  des- 
cribe fairly  in  six  months,  and  so  will  I  go  back  to  my 
history. 

Being  come  to  the  Meta,  as  I  say,  we  made  our  way  to 
the  village  of  those  Ingas  who  were  friendly  with  ours,  and 
there  we  were  very  well  received.  With  them  we  stayed 
two  days,  during  which  time  I  showed  them  the  use  of  the 
muskets  taken  from  the  Portugals,  which  I  had  not  done 
before  because  of  wasting  the  munitions,  and  in  return  they 
gave  us  as  much  information  as  they  possessed  with  regard 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          287 

to  descending  the  river,  bidding  us  beware  of  certain  falls 
which  would  certainly  be  our  ruin  unless  we  escaped  them 
by  drawing  our  boat  through  the  woods  from  the  upper 
river  to  the  lower,  and  also  counseling  us  to  find  a  suitable 
shelter  as  soon  as  the  rains  threatened  to  fall  ;  for  they 
reckoned  we  could  by  no  means  hope  to  get  down  even  to 
the  Baraquan  before  the  rainy  season  began. 

Then  they  chose  the  largest  and  fittest  canoe  they  had, 
and  gave  it  us  with  a  free  heart ;  and  in  this,  when  we  were 
ready  to  depart,  they  set  (imprimis)  an  ample  store  of  buc- 
can  and  cassavy  cakes  ;  (2)  vessels  for  cooking  and  drink- 
ing J  (3)  a  Portugal  sword  and  knife  like  those  they  gave  to 
Matthew  ;  (4)  three  good  bows  with  strings  to  spare,  a 
hundred  arrows,  and  a  small  gourd  of  poison  to  envenom 
the  points,  which  poison  they  do  esteem  and  prize  most 
highly  ;  (5)  a  gourd  of  their  tinder  and  two  popguns,  as  I 
will  call  them  for  kindling  it  ;  (9)  two  wands,  very  curiously 
wrought  with  carving  of  figures,  to  serve  as  tokens  to  other 
tribes  that  we  were  their  friends  and  enemies  to  all  Portu- 
gals  ;  (7)  two  sleeping-nets  ;  (8)  a  packet  of  various  things, 
such  as  medicines  against  fevers,  bites  of  serpents,  etc.  ; 
and  (9)  a  couple  of  soft  woven  mats  which  these  people  do 
use  for  blankets.  And  now,  when  these  good,  kind  folk 
had  nothing  more  to  give  us  for  our  use,  they  came,  every 
man,  woman,  and  child,  and  laid  their  hands  on  us  as  a  sign 
of  love,  so  that  our  hearts  ached  as  we  got  into  the  canoe 
bidding  them  farewell,  and  the  tears  coursed  down  Lady 
Biddy's  cheeks  as  she  waved  her  hand  to  her  little  friend 
Wangapona,  who,  kneeling  on  the  bank  by  the  water-side, 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  as  if  she  could  no  longer 
bear  to  watch  one  so  dearly  loved  sliding  down  that  river, 
away,  away,  never  to  return. 

However,  though  I  risk  being  deemed  heartless,  I  must 
admit  that  this  feeling  of  regret  passed  from  my  breast  as 
soon  as  the  bend  of  the  river  shut  the  Ingas  from  our  per- 
spective, and  in  its  place  sprang  a  sentiment  of  gladness  and 
joy  that  I  could  scarce  contain  ;  for  there  before  me  sat  my 
Lady  Biddy,  radiant  with  health  and  beauty,  her  eyes  yet 
glittering  with  tears,  but  a  gentle  smile  playing  about  her 
sweet  cheek  as  hope  revived  her  heart,  and  I  knew  that  for 
many  weeks — ay,  months — we  must  live  close  together  ; 


288          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

that  for  long,  long  days  every  word  of  her  dear  lips  must 
be  for  my  ear,  every  smile  for  me,  and  for  me  only.  My 
mind  was  too  enchanted  with  the  prospect  of  such  happiness 
to  dwell  on  the  blank,  dreadful  misery  .that  must  follow 
when  our  journey  came  to  an  end,  and  she  was  restored  to 
her  friends.  "  Why  should  I  plague  myself,"  says  I  to  my- 
self, "  with  the  future  when  the  present  is  so  lovely  ?  If 
one  is  to  weep  to-morrow,  there  is  more  reason  in  smiling 
to-day."  Yet,  nevertheless,  a  wicked  hope  did  secretly  lie 
at  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that  ere  we  reached  our  journey's 
end  some  sudden  accident  might  put  an  end  to  both  our 
lives. 

'Twas  like  some  pleasant  summer  holiday  jaunt,  for  the 
river  was  broad  and  smooth,  and  the  current  just  swift 
enough  to  carry  us  merrily  onward,  with  no  more  than  a 
stroke  of  the  paddle  now  and  then  to  keep  the  canoe  to  her 
course.  On  either  hand  were  trees  weighed  down  with 
strings  of  rubies  and  opals  and  amethysts,  for  so  those 
twining  wreaths  of  flowers  seemed.  In  the  pools  stood 
wondrous  herons  ;  some  saffron  and  rosy  pink,  and  other 
some  crimson  red  ;  but  of  the  birds  that  started  from  the 
reeds,  and  those  that  flew  over  our  heads,  there  was  no  end 
to  the  gorgeous  tints. 

About  midday  we  became  conscious  of  a  most  delicate 
sweet  scent,  and  at  a  sudden  turn  of  the  river  my  dear  lady 
clapped  her  hands  and  cried  out  in  delight.  Turning 
about  whither  her  eyes  were  resting,  I  spied  a  wide,  deep 
inlet  of  the  river,  where  there  was  but  slight  movement 
of  the  water,  all  covered  over  with  green  lily  leaves,  dotted 
with  blooms  of  creamy-white  and  tender  pink,  from  which 
that  delicate  perfume  issued.  But  how  shall  I  tell,  and  yet 
be  believed  for  a  truthful  man,  of  the  wondrous  size  of 
these  lilies  ?  There  was  not  a  bloom  that  measured  less 
than  a  yard  about  ;  and  as  for  the  leaves,  I  have  seen  no 
round  table  so  big,  for  some  of  them  did  measure  a  good 
fathom  and  a  half  from  side  to  side. 

For  some  time  we  looked  in  amaze  at  this  wondrous  field 
of  beauty,  and  then  perceiving  a  part  of  that  inlet  very 
agreeably  shaded  with  drooping  palmettoes,  I  thought  it 
would  be  a  vastly  proper  place  to  rest  in  and  eat  our  noon- 
day meal ;  and  Lady  Biddy  being  also  of  this  opinion,  I 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  289 

shoved  the  canoe  in  the  midst  of  these  lilies,  where  she  was 
like  to  stay  as  secure  as  if  chained  to  an  anchor,  and  there 
we  ate  and  drank,  refreshing  ourselves  at  the  same  time 
with  the  delights  of  this  lily  paradise. 

When  we  had  feasted  to  our  heart's  content,  I  pushed  to 
the  shore,  and  having  tied  one  of  the  nets  betwixt  two  trees, 
I  begged  my  lady  to  repose  till  the  heat  of  the  day  was 
passed. 

"  'Tis  but  changing  one  dream  for  another,  Benet,"  says 
she,  lying  down  in  her  net.  So  she  lay  facing  the  water 
and  looking  at  the  great  moths  that  fluttered  over  the  still 
flowers,  with  sweet  content  in  her  face,  till  her  lids  dropped, 
and  she  slept. 

As  soon  as  I  perceived  this  I  got  up,  for  to  gratify  her 
wish  I  had  made  a  pretense  of  sleeping  on  the  herb  at  a 
little  distance  ;  and  observing  that  this  grass  was  exceed- 
ing fine  and  soft,  I  got  my  sword  and  mowed  enough  to 
make  two  good  trusses,  and  these  I  took  down  to  the 
canoe  and  bestowed  them  in  the  hinder  end.  Then  push- 
ing out  amongst  the  lilies,  I  cut  me  two  great  leaves  of  like 
circumference,  which  I  carried  to  the  shore,  and  there  lay- 
ing them  on  the  ground  back  to  back,  I  made  shift,  with  a 
long  thorn  for  a  needle  and  some  stout  palmetto  fibre  for 
thread,  to  sew  them  tightly  together,  so  that  it  stood  on  edge 
very  well  by  reason  of  the  edges  being  curled  up  all  round 
half  a  foot  high,  and  one  leaf  supporting  the  other.  Then 
this  I  took  down  to  the  canoe,  and  setting  it  up  crosswise 
betwixt  the  two  trusses  of  grass,  and  further  securing  it 
by  means  of  threads  from  its  circumference  to  the  hinder 
end  of  the  canoe,  it  kept  its  place  as  well  as  I  could  wish. 
By  the  time  I  had  finished  this  business  my  Lady  Biddy 
awoke,  and  coming  down  to  where  I  stood  looking  at  my 
handiwork,  she  says,  "  Why,  what  is  that  for,  Benet  ?" 

"  To  keep  the  sun  from  your  back  as  we  go  down  the 
river,"  says  I,  "  and  the  sun  out  of  my  eyes." 

"  And  the  soft  grass  is  a  cushion  for  me  to  sit  on,"  says 
she  ;  "  sure,  no  one  in  the  world  is  so  ingenious  and  thought- 
ful as  you." 

But  I  had  another  purpose  in  view  for  this  screen,  as  I 
put  in  practice  that  night  when  we  could  go  no  further,  and 
I  anchored  our  canoe  in  a  little  shallow.  While  Lady 


29°          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Biddy  was  ashore  to  get  some  fruit  she  had  a  mind  to,  I  set 
this  lily-leaf  screen  midway  in  the  length  of  the  canoe, 
which  was  some  twenty  feet  long,  or  thereabouts,  dividing 
it,  as  you  may  say,  into  two  chambers,  each  ten  feet  long, 
and  duly  screened  one  from  another  ;  and  this  screen  I 
secured  with  strings,  so  that  it  could  fall  neither  one  way 
nor  t'other.  In  the  hinder  half,  which  was  not  encumbered 
with  our  goods,  I  strewed  one  of  the  trusses  of  grass,  and 
from  the  other  I  drew  out  a  good  soft  armful  that  I  set 
against  the  screen  for  a  pillow. 

When  my  lady  came  with  a  leaf  full  of  fruit  for  our 
supper,  I  pointed  to  the  provision  I  had  made  in  the  boat, 
and  says  I: 

"  There,  my  lady,  is  your  bed-chamber  "  (indicating  the 
hinder  part),  "and  here  is  mine "  (pointing  to  the  fore 
part). 

"  That  is  famous,"  says  she  with  a  little  blush.  And  I 
think  she  was  the  more  content  for  having  been  troubled  in 
her  mind  before  as  to  this  matter,  as  I  judged  from  her 
silence.  So  when  we  had  eaten  our  fruit,  I  stepped  into  the 
shallow,  drew  the  boat  hither,  and  helped  my  lady  to  step 
into  her  part.  Then  I  pushed  the  boat  out  into  the  cur- 
rent, where  she  was  anchored,  and  after  pressing  my  lady's 
hand  for  a  good-night,  I  stepped  into  my  part  of  the  boat 
and  lay  me  down  with  a  feeling  of  boundless  joyful  grati- 
tude in  my  heart,  such  as  I  never  felt  there  before.  To 
think  that  she  lay  quite  close  to  me,  with  naught  but  a  lily- 
leaf  betwixt  her  dear  head  and  mine,  was  enough  to  distract 
my  reason. 

Though  we  had  said  good-night,  Lady  Biddy  continued 
to  chat  some  time,  and  from  her  cheerful,  sprightly  tone  it 
was  clear  that  she  made  her  preparations  for  the  night  with- 
out fear  ;  but,  Lord,  I  do  believe,  had  there  been  no  screen 
betwixt  us,  she  had  been  as  secure  from  my  observation, 
for  I  would  have  torn  the  eyes  from  my  head  rather  than 
destroy  the  dainty  image  of  virgin  modesty  that  was  hal- 
lowed in  my  breast. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          291 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

I  AM  PUT  TO  GREAT  CONCERN  ON  ACCOUNT  OF  A  PORTU- 
GAL, WHICH  PRESENTLY  TAKES  THE  PRETTIEST  TURN 
IMAGINABLE. 

THE  next  morning  I  awoke  at  daybreak,  but  lay  very 
still  for  a  good  hour,  not  to  disturb  my  dear  lady  ; 
and  this  time  was  in  nowise  tedious,  for  my  head  was 
full  of  glee  to  think  that  here  was  another  day  of  joy  before 
me.  And  also  my  mind  was  well  occupied  in  turning  over 
the  particulars  of  our  existence,  and  devising  means  by 
which  I  might  make  the  day  agreeable  to  my  lady  as  well 
as  joyful  to  myself. 

Among  other  things,  I  thought  it  would  not  be  amiss  if 
I  went  a-hunting  in  the  woods  for  some  fresh  game  to 
replace  the  buccan,  which  is  at  best  but  an  indifferent  dry 
kind  of  victuals.  "  Moreover,"  thinks  I,  "  my  absence  will 
give  Lady  Biddy  occasion  to  bathe  her  sweet  body  if  she 
be  so  minded."  Whereupon  I  cast  off  my  mat,  and  step- 
ping into  the  shallow,  that  I  might  not  over-much  joggle 
the  canoe  about,  I  gave  myself  a  sluice  and  dressed  myself. 

Presently  my  lady,  awaking,  calls  to  me  to  know  if  it 
were  time  to  rise. 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  there  is  no  hurry,  for  I  am  going  a-hunt- 
ing in  the  woods  and  shall  not  return  maybe  for  an  hour." 

"  You  are  sure  you  will  not  be  back  before,  Benet  ?  " 
says  she. 

"  As  for  that,"  says  I,  "  I  will  not  stir  from  the  place  if 
you  are  afraid  to  be  alone." 

"  Nay,"  says  she,  with  a  little  laugh,  "  I  am  not  afraid 
of  that." 

"  Then  I  shall  assuredly  not  be  back  for  an  hour,"  says 
I.  "  And  if  you  are  disposed  to  bathe,  you  will  find  the 
water  very  fresh  and  proper.  I  see  no  danger  now,  but  I 
do  beg  you,  ere  you  step  in  the  water,  to  look  well  about 
you  that  there  be  no  water-serpents  nor  cockadrils  nigh." 

She  promised  me  she  would  be  very  careful  ;  and  so 
with  a  bow  and  a  dozen  arrows  away  I  went  into  the  woods, 
as  cheerful  as  you  please.  And  there,  after  shooting  at  a 
bird  with  a  beak  as  big  as  his  body  (which  is  called  a 


292  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

fucana)  and  missing  him,  I  had  the  good  chance  to  spy  a 
tumandua,  which  is  a  long-haired  beast  with  a  snout  three 
parts  of  a  yard  long,  that  feeds  on  the  ants  of  the  earth, 
which  he  licks  up  with  a  prodigious  long  tongue,  like  any 
whip-thong.  I  killed  him  with  my  first  arrow,  and  having 
taken  the  skin  off  I  cut  the  best  parts,  packed  them  in  a 
cool  leaf,  and  left  the  rest  behind.  And  now  I  looked 
about  for  a  milk-tree  such  as  I  have  spoken  of,  and  having 
the  good  fortune  to  find  one  I  gave  it  a  couple  of  gashes 
and  drew  off  as  much  as  a  quart  of  excellent  good  milk  in 
a  gourd  I  had  bethought  me  to  sling  on  to  my  waist-belt. 
And  by  the  time  this  was  done,  and  I  had  plucked  some 
good  fruits,  I  reckoned  it  was  time  to  return  to  the  river  ; 
so  thither  I  made  my  way,  stopping  now  and  then  to  stuff 
my  pockets  with  such  dry  husks  of  nuts  as  make  a  brisk 
fire,  and  culling  a  few  flowers  that  I  thought  might  refresh 
my  dear  lady's  senses  as  she  ate.  In  this  manner  I  charged 
myself  pretty  well  :  with  this  under  one  arm,  that  under 
t'other,  my  pockets  sticking  out  on  either  side,  my  bow  on 
my  back,  and  my  hands  full. 

But  I  was  like  to  let  all  these  things  drop  from  me  when 
I  came  to  that  point  of  the  woods  whence  I  could  see  the 
canoe,  for  the  boat  lay  there  empty,  and  nowhere  could  I 
catch  a  glimpse  of  my  lady.  But,  to  my  horror,  I  presently 
spied,  through  an  opening  in  the  wood  to  my  right,  a  Port- 
ugal (as  I  accounted  him  by  his  dress),  fitting  an  arrow  to 
his  bow.  I  caught  sight  of  him  but  for  a  moment,  for  hav- 
ing fitted  his  arrow  he  stole  forward  stealthily,  as  if  to  take 
his  quarry  by  surprise,  and  disappeared  behind  a  thicket. 
Then,  as  I  say,  was  I  like  to  have  dropped  all  I  had  for 
amazement  and  terror.  And  now  in  a  moment  it  appeared 
to  me  that  my  lady,  having  caught  sight  of  this  enemy,  had 
fled  into  the  wood  to  find  me,  and  that,  hampered  by  the 
thick  growth,  she  had  been  brought  to  a  stand,  whither 
this  wicked  Portugal  was  stealing  upon  her  to  take  her  life. 
Whereupon,  casting  everything  to  the  ground,  I  rushed 
forward,  hallooing  with  all  my  force. 

"  Turn,  villain  Portugal  !  "  shouts  I.  "  Here  is  your 
enemy  !  " 

But  ere  I  had  run  fifty  paces  I  was  stayed  by  a  new 
amazement,  for,  coming  to  the  edge  of  the  thicket,  I  was 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LAD  Y  BIDD  Y  PANE.          *95 

brought  face  to  face  with  what  I  had  taken  for  a  Portugal, 
and  now  found  was  none  other  than  Lady  Biddy  herself, 
but  arrayed  in  a  Portugal's  doublet  and  trunks  like  any 
boy. 

Hearing  my  terrible  shout,  and  then  catching  sight  of 
me  all  dumbfounded  with  astonishment,  she  must  needs 
fall  into  a  merry  laugh  ;  but  the  next  moment  she  hung 
her  head,  blushing  up  to  the  eyes,  and  her  knees  turned  in 
together  for  shame  to  be  seen  in  that  dress. 

However,  coming  to  herself  presently,  and  perceiving 
there  was  no  need  to  be  ashamed  of  that  which  is  done 
with  no  ill-motive,  she  lifts  up  her  Iv-r.ul,  though  her  cheek 
yet  burned  and  her  bright  eyes  twmkled,  and  tells  me  how 
she  had  begged  these  clothes  (which  had  belonged  to  the 
stripling  that  was  page,  as  I  have  told,  to  Lewis  de  Pino) 
of  the  Ingas  for  her  own  use.  And  now  I  remembered 
how,  when  she  stepped  first  into  the  canoe,  she  carried  with 
her  a  packet  which  she  put  carefully  in  one  part  of  the 
canoe,  where,  as  may  be  believed,  I  had  left  it  untouched. 

"  I  shall  need  my  gown,"  says  she,  "  when  we  get  out  of 
these  wilds,  and  assuredly  there  would  be  little  left  of  it  if 
I  tried  to  make  my  way  through  these  woods  wearing  it. 
Now,"  adds  she,  "  I  need  be  no  plague  to  you,  Benet,  when 
we  have  to  leave  the  river,  for  I  can  pass  as  readily  as  you 
through  the  bushes  and  thickets.  Nay,  I  wish  to  be  inde- 
pendent, so  far  as  my  strength  will  allow,  that  you  may  not 
fear  to  leave  me  alone  if  there  be  occasion  ;  and  to  that  end 
I  was  practising  with  this  bow,  and  I  thought  I  was  brave 
enough  for  anything  till  you  frightened  me  out  of  my  wits 
by  shouting  out  so  terribly."  And  therewith  she  fell  to 
laughing  again  ;  but  now  she  was  more  at  her  ease,  per- 
ceiving that  I  did  not  regard  her  in  any  unbecoming 
manner. 

"  Your  judgment  is  never  at  fault,  cousin,"  says  I  ;  "  and 
sure  it  is  more  fit  you  should  travel  in  this  sort  than  in  a 
gown  which  you  have  no  means  to  mend  when  it  suffered 
by  an  unseemly  rent.  Also  'twill  be  a  great  comfort  to  me 
to  know  you  will  not  be  left  helpless  by  any  accident  that 
may  happen  to  me." 

"  We  will  not  think  of  such  misfortunes,"  says  she  ;  "  but 
I  am  heartily  glad  you  approve  of  what  I  have  done  ;  and 


294          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

now,  to  complete  the  improvement,  do,  prithee,  cut  my  hair 
close  with  your  knife." 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "that  I  can  not  do  ;  you  know  not  how 
pretty  it  is." 

"  Perhaps  I  do,"  says  she  sadly,  and  yet  with  a  certain 
depth  of  meaning  that  I  did  not  then  fathom  ;  "  and  so  do 
as  I  beg  you  ;  for  I  can  not  well  do  it  myself,  and  I  am  still 
woman  enough  to  dread  the  thought  of  its  being  cut  away." 

"  What  need  is  there  to  cut  it  at  all  ?  "  says  I  deploringly. 

"  Why,"  says  she,  "  'tis  as  like  to  catch  in  the  briars  as 
my  skirts,  and  the  vexation  will  be  greater.  Besides,  'tis 
out  of  character  with  my  dress,  and  I  wish  to  feel  my  head 
as  free  as  my  limbs  are.  See,"  says  she,  undoing  the  knot 
and  letting  it  fall,  "  how  unbecoming  it  is  to  a  young  fellow, 
and  what  a  deal  of  trouble  it  may  get  me  into." 

Here  again  was  a  hint  of  her  meaning,  yet  I  could  not 
catch  it  then  for  admiring  of  the  long  waving  tresses  that 
came  down  to  her  waist,  and  glittered  like  threads  of  spun 
silk,  with  the  color  of  a  chestnut  just  burst  from  its  husk. 

However,  seeing  she  would  take  no  denial,  I  screwed  up 
courage  to  take  off  some  of  this  beautiful  adornment ;  but 
I  would  cut  it  no  shorter  than  her  shoulders,  which  I  main- 
tained was  the  length  that  pages  do  wear  it.  And  I  would 
not  lose  a  single  hair  ;  but  when  the  business  was  done  I 
tied  the  long  locks  in  a  thick  knot,  tenderly  and  in  silence, 
for  my  heart  was  sorrowing  with  the  reflection  that  one  day 
this  would  be  all  that  I  could  have  of  her. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  keep  that,  Benet  ? "  says  she, 
seeing  what  I  was  about. 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "  if  you  will  let  me."  And  then,  not  know- 
ing any  better  excuse  to  make,  I  added,  "  It  may  serve  very 
well  for  fish-lines  if  there  be  any  angling  to  do." 

Thereupon  we  fell  to  talking  of  fishing  and  hunting,  as 
that  were  the  main  question  (though,  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned,  it  was  a  long  way  therefrom),  and  I  took  her  to  see 
what  I  had  got  us  in  the  shape  of  provision  ;  and,  to  our 
content,  no  mischief  had  happened  to  those  things  by  cast- 
ing them  down  so  hurriedly,  for  they  had  fallen  into  a  tuft 
of  grass,  and  the  gourd  of  milk  was  unspilt.  So  we  set 
about  making  a  fire  and  preparing  our  food,  all  with  a  light 
and  cheerful  heart,  as  if  'twas  the  most  natural  thing  in  the 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  295 

world  for  my  lady  to  be  figuring  in  the  garb  of  a  boy.  But 
when  she  was  occupied  with  the  cooking  of  the  tamandua, 
under  the  pretense  of  seeing  that  the  canoe  had  not  shifted, 
I  withdrew  a  little  out  of  sight,  and  having  pressed  my  lips 
and  cheek  to  the  cold  shining  locks  of  her  hair,  I  opened 
my  doublet  and  slipped  them  into  my  breast,  where  I  ever 
kept  them  thereafter. 

And  now,  to  make  an  end  to  this  part  of  our  history,  I 
must  say  here  that  I  think  my  dear  lady  had  another  and 
secret  intent  in  putting  on  the  boy's  habit  and  cutting  off 
her  hair,  which  was  that  she  might  that  way  abate  some- 
what the  passion  of  love  that  reigned  in  my  heart,  and  was, 
despite  my  utmost  endeavors  to  conceal  it,  yet  visible  to 
her  eyes.  She  thought,  as  I  believe,  that  by  putting  off  the 
garb  and  character  of  her  sex,  I  might  come  to  regard  her 
less  as  a  woman,  and  more  as  a  comrade  of  my  own  kind. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  be  a  philosopher — it  is  enough  to  be 
a  woman — to  perceive  that  a  man's  tenderness  does  increase 
by  the  dependence  of  womankind  upon  his  means  and  love  ; 
and  'twas  for  this  reason  she  desired  to  undertake  what  I 
undertook,  to  overcome  her  weakness,  and  to  stand  alone, 
as  one  may  say. 

But  my  passion  was  proof  against  these  devices.  For  I 
could  trace  no  action  of  hers  to  its  motive  without  increas- 
ing my  admiration  and  delight  in  the  contemplation  of  her 
fine  disposition.  Nay,  the  aspect  of  her  mind  did  delight 
my  soul,  as  much,  I  truly  believe,  as  the  sight  of  her  dear 
person  ;  and  she  could  do  nothing  to  conceal  the  one  or 
disguise  the  other  from  my  searching  perception.  "  Lord  !  " 
thinks  I,  when  I  dare  not  look  at  her,  "  can  there  be  another 
soui  so  beautiful  in  all  the  world  ? "  And  then,  when  her 
eyes  were  elsewhere  and  I  could  regard  her  unseen,  I  would 
mark  the  dainty  outline  of  her  brow  and  nose,  and  the  short 
upper  lip  that  did  betray  her  delicacy,  her  rounded  under 
lip  that  spoke  of  mirth,  her  full,  round  chin,  in  which  was 
no  sign  of  weak  or  wanton  purpose  ;  also  (with  joy)  how 
her  hair  that  I  had  cut  so  barbarous  straight  did  begin  to 
curl  at  the  end,  and  would  sit  shining  on  her  shoulder  or 
flutter  in  the  soft  breeze  lightly  by  her  downy  qheek,  like  a 
butterfly  beside  a  peach-plum. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 


CHAPTER  LVII. 

THE  RAINY   SEASON   SETS   IN    WITH    A    VENGEANCE,  AND  WE 
ARE  PUT  TO  SORRY  SHIFT  TO  KEEP  FROM  DROWNING. 

FOR  five  weeks  we  traveled  down  that  great  river,  and 
if  I  set  about  it  I  could  give  a  good  account  of  every 
day  ;  for  'twas  my  pleasure  when  I  lay  down  at  night 
to  review  the  incidents  of  the  day,  since  every  hour  did 
yield  some  precious  food  for  rumination.  Assuredly  there 
were  accidents,  mishaps,  and  perils  in  that  journey  (as 
notably  an  assault  by  hostile  savages,  which  made  us  mind- 
ful to  trust  them  not  thereafter)  ;  but  in  overcoming  these 
difficulties  and  helping  each  other,  my  dear  lady  and  I  were 
knit  more  closely  together,  seeing  that  we  had  fared  but 
miserably  alone  ;  and  trouble,  J  take  it,  is  like  salt,  which 
of  itself  is  an  abomination,  but  mingled  sparingly  with 
one's  daily  bread  does  give  it  good  savor,  and  serves  as  a 
zest  to  the  appetite. 

But  not  to  weary  the  reader  with  a  tedious  detail  of  my 
happiness,  I  will  cut  this  matter  short,  and  come  to  that 
time  when  the  rainy  season  set  in,  and  I  knew  no  comfort 
day  or  night  for  concern  on  my  dear  lady's  account.  And 
over  this  business  I  will  not  linger  neither,  for  surely  no 
one  with  a  feeling  heart  will  care  to  hear  of  my  misery. 

At  first  we  counted  that  the  rain  would  give  over  at  the 
end  of  the  day,  and  that  we  might  yet  go  a  little  further 
before  taking  refuge  for  the  season  ;  but  we  soon  found 
our  mistake,  for  in  these  parts  it  does  not  rain  in  showers, 
but  comes  down  cats  and  dogs,  as  you  may  say,  for  spite- 
fulness,  a  whole  month  without  ceasing.  So  when  we  per- 
ceived how  matters  stood,  having  not  a  dry  thread  on  us, 
and  no  means  to  lie  down  but  in  a  bath,  we  resolved  to 
stop  at  the  next  convenient  spot  we  came  to.  And  coming 
at  length  to  a  part  of  the  river  where  the  waters  spread  out 
into  a  kind  of  lake,  we  spied,  standing  up  out  of  it  on  its 
south  side,  a  very  fair  high  island,  which  I  then  made  for, 
as  we  deemed  it  would  be  more  proper  to  our  purpose  than 
elsewhere.  And  a  very  good  sort  of  island  we  found  it — 
about  fifty  acres  in  extent,  well  furnished  with  trees,  and  of 
a  sandy  soil  ;  and  we  were  well  pleased  to  find  abundance 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          297 

of  holes  in  the  higher  part,  which  I  knew  at  once  for  the 
burrows  of  acutis,*  which,  boiled  or  roast,  make  as  good  a 
dish  as  any  man  could  have.  Here,  having  settled  to  make 
our  dwelling  on  the  highest  part  of  the  island,  as  being  the 
best  drained,  we  drew  our  canoe  ashore,  and  hauled  it  up 
thither.  I  say  we,  for  my  lady  did  haul  with  all  her 
strength  bravely,  for  she  shrank  from  no  helpful  service, 
and  well  she  aided  me,  bless  her  good  heart ! 

Then  with  a  couple  of  lianes  that  had  served  us  for  moor- 
ing our  boat,  we  made  a  shift  to  sling  up  our  canoe 
bottom  upwards  between  two  trees  about  seven  feet  from 
the  ground  ;  and,  this  done,  we  went  to  the  water-side  and 
cut  a  fair  stack  of  cane-reeds,  that  grew  abundantly  there, 
and  with  a  good  deal  of  labor  carried  them  up  to  our  canoe. 
And  now  we  set  about  planting  our  canes  the  length  of  the 
canoe,  but  a  good  bit  wider  at  the  base,  and  inclining  them 
in  such  sort  that  they  joined  at  the  top  within  the  boat,  so 
that  no  wet  could  enter  that  way  ;  indeed,  we  set  these 
canes  so  close  together,  and  so  thickly  all  round  and  about 
save  a  little  opening  at  the  leeward  end  for  our  door,  that 
not  a  drop  of  rain  came  through  anywhere.  Thus  by 
nightfall  had  we  made  for  ourselves  a  very  decent  little 
cottage,  which  I  divided  in  two  by  hanging  my  mat  across 
midway  of  its  length,  in  order  that  my  lady  should  have  a 
chamber  to  herself. 

Miserable  as  our  estate -may  appear  to  those  who  have 
never  suffered  adversity,  and  are  frighted  out  of  their  wits 
if  they  be  but  caught  in  an  April  shower,  we  were,  I  pro- 
test, heartily  well  content  with  our  shelter,  taking  mighty 
satisfaction  to  ourselves  because  no  wet  leaked  through  our 
walls;  that  the  ground,  by  being  sandy,  absorbed  the 
water,  so  that  there  was  no  mud  or  beastliness  on  our  floor  ; 
that,  though  our  clothes  were  sodden,  yet  we  felt  no  dis- 
comfort of  cold,  etc.  Nay,  we  even  made  merry  in  getting 
our  supper,  because  we  were  nearly  choked  by  our  fire  of 
damp  nuts,  which  set  us  coughing  like  any  sick  of  a 
phthisic.  But  the  true  reason  of  our  cheerfulness  was  that 
we  were  each  minded  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  job  for  the 

*  These  acutis  are  a  kind  of  conies  that  dress  themselves  on  their  hind- 
quarters and  feed  with  their  fore-paws  in  the  manner  of  a  jack-squirrel. — 
B.  P. 


«98          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

sake  of  the  other,  and  in  that  way  looked  over  the  defects 
in  our  condition  in  spying  out  its  advantages  ;  and  sure  I 
am  that  the  less  we  study  our  personal  happiness,  the  less 
we  find  to  be  discontented  with  in  our  lot. 

When  we  had  been  here  three  weeks  I  began  to  grow 
uneasy,  for  in  all  this  time  the  rain  had  not  ceased  to  fall,  I 
verily  believe,  half  an  hour,  whereby  the  waters  were  swelled 
to  such  a  prodigious  extent  that  more  than  half  our  island 
was  flooded  (and  that  the  steeper  part),  so  that  I  foresaw 
we  could  stay  there  not  above  another  week  unless  a  change 
in  the  weather  came  about ;  but  sign  of  change  was  there 
none,  the  rain  pouring  down  as  though  it  would  never  have 
done.  Yet  where  on  earth  we  were  to  go,  or  what  to  do 
for  the  best,  I  could  no  way  imagine.  For  as  our  island 
lay  under  water,  so  did  the  land  by  the  river-side.  To 
pass  afoot  amidst  the  trees  in  quest  of  higher  ground  was 
not  less  impossible  than  to  get  thither  with  the  canoe — the 
trees  about  there  being  as  close  together  as  nine-pins,  and  the 
water  pretty  nigh  a  couple  of  fathoms  high  amongst  them. 

At  length,  seeing  my  anxiety,  Lady  Biddy  accused  me  of 
keeping  a  secret  from  her  against  the  spirit  of  true  friend- 
ship. Whereupon  I  told  her  of  my  fears,  and  the  perplexity 
they  threw  me  into. 

"  I  did  think  you  had  this  matter  on  your  mind,  Benet," 
says  she,  "  and  I  own  I  have  noticed  the  rising  of  the  waters 
with  mistrust.  Indeed,"  adds  she,  "you  and  I  are  not 
alone  in  this  apprehension." 

"  Why,  who  else  is  there  here  to  heed  such  matters  ? " 
says  I. 

"  Look,"  says  she,  pointing  before  her  through  the  open- 
ing as  we  sat  in  our  hut. 

Casting  my  eyes  as  she  directed,  I  noticed  a  troop  of 
acutis  with  their  heads  to  the  ground  and  their  ears  cast 
back. 

"  They  have  been  driven  from  their  holes  by  the  water," 
says  she,  "  and  are  so  subdued  by  fear  that  they  have  let 
me  take  them  up  in  my  arms." 

"  They  know  they  are  safe  here  ;  which  we  may  take  for 
our  own  assurance,"  says  I. 

"  So  I  think,"  says  she.  "  A  change  must  come  ere  long. 
Indeed,  the  air  feels  different  already." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAtfE.          299 

"  And  a  change  did  come  the  very  next  night ;  but  such 
as  we  had  not  bargained  for.  About  midnight  there  broke 
over  us  the  most  terrific  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning  I 
ever  knew,  and  with  it  the  rain  came  down  in  such  torrents 
that  I  thought  the  weight  of  it  must  burst  the  lianes  and 
bring  our  shelter  down  about  our  ears.  This  continued  all 
the  night,  and  I  could  not  sleep  a  wink  for  thinking  that 
mayhap  the  end  of  the  world  was  at  hand,  and  we  were  to 
be  drowned  by  a  second  flood,  despite  the  rainbow. 

About  daybreak  Lady  Biddy  called  to  me. 

"  Benet,"  says  she,  "  here's  one  of  those  poor  acutis  crept 
right  into  my  arms." 

Upon  that  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  went  outside,  fearing 
the  worst.  And  there,  in  the  half-light,  the  whole  of  the 
ground  about  me  was  alive  with  the  poor  acutis,  all  so 
numbed  with  the  wet  and  terror  that  they  had  not  the  sense 
to  move  out  of  my  way  ;  nor  did  they  even  cry  out  when  I 
trod  upon  them.  I  had  not  gone  a  score  of  paces  when  I 
felt  the  sand  yielding  beneath  me,  and  caught  sight  of  water 
amidst  the  trees. 

"  Cousin,"  says  I,  running  back,  "  we  must  prepare  to  go 
at  once." 

"  I  am  dressed,  Benet,"  says  she  cheerfully  ;  "  what  can 
I  do?" 

I  could  not  at  once  reply  for  admiring  of  the  helpful, 
ready  character  of  that  dear  woman  (thus  revealed),  but 
paused  to  gaze  on  her  in  wonder  and  love  ;  however,  this 
was  no  time  for  long  delay,  so  we  presently  got  all  the 
things  out  of  the  hut  and  placed  them  ready  to  our  hand  ; 
and  then  I  unfastened  the  lianes  that  held  up  our  canoe, 
and  we  had  now  but  a  short  distance  to  haul  it  ere  we 
reached  the  water.  Then  we  stowed  all  our  poor  posses- 
sions in  their  place,  and  launched  the  canoe  amidst  the 
trees.  When  it  lay  fairly  afloat  I  begged  my  lady  to  get 
in.  But  she  hesitated,  with  a  mournful  look  behind  her. 

"  Benet,"  says  she,  "  if  it  won't  make  your  labor  of  row- 
ing more  difficult,  I  should  like  to  take  some  of  those  poor 
dear  conies  away.  'Tis  so  pitiful  to  leave  them"  here  to 
die." 

I  helped  her  with  a  willing  and  ready  heart  to  carry  as 
many  of  the  half-dead  acutis  to  the  canoe  as  we  could  take, 


300  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

and  then  we  got  in,  and  I  pushed  my  way  through  the  trees 
out  into  the  stream. 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

WE    FIND    A    HAVEN    OF    REST    IN    A    WONDROUS  LAKE  ;    BUT 
ARE    NIGH    BEING    SUCKED    INTO    A    WHIRLPOOL. 

WE  swiftly  left  the  island  behind  us,  for  this  lake  (as  I 
call  it),  which  had  been  pretty  still  when  we  entered 
it,  was  now  hurrying  along  with  the  force  of  any  mill- 
stream.  The  water  was  orange-tawny  with  the  mud  and 
sand  it  had  swept  up  in  its  course,  and  littered  all  over  with 
great  trees  and  bushes  ;  and  this  wreck  on  it,  with  the  deso- 
lation all  around,  and  the  vast  extent  and  the  mighty  force 
of  it,  did  strike  us  both  with  awe  and  a  feeling  of  our  little- 
ness and  helplessness,  so  that  we  could  not  speak  for  some 
time.  However,  we  presently  found  some  consolation  in 
perceiving  that  the  rain  had  ceased  to  fall,  and  that  betwixt 
the  black  clouds  was  here  and  there  a  rift  of  blue,  which 
was  the  first  we  had  seen  of  the  sky  for  six  weeks  or  there- 
abouts ;  and  with  this  we  grew  more  cheery,  and  even  the 
conies  began  to  prick  their  ears  and  nibble  of  some  herb  we 
had  torn  up  for  them  the  last  thing  before  putting  off. 

My  attention  was  soon  diverted  from  these  trifles  by  more 
serious  matters  ;  for  being  carried  to  that  end  of  the  lake 
whence  the  waters  issued  in  a  narrow  passage  betwixt  two 
high  rocks  as  through  the  neck  of  a  funnel,  it  was  with  the 
utmost  ado  I  kept  our  canoe  in  mid-stream  and  clear  of 
those  bushes  and  trees  which,  as  I  have  said,  were  scattered 
abroad,  and  here  by  the  confluence  of  the  flood  we  were 
brought  into  such  close  quarters  that  at  every  turn  the 
canoe  was  threatened  to  be  nipped  in  their  embrace  or 
swept  into  the  midst  of  the  wreck  and  lumber  that  ground 
painfully  against  the  banks,  where  our  frail  bark  (as  I  may 
truly  call  it)  would  in  a  moment  have  been  crushed  like  a 
thing  of  paper,  and  we  with  it. 

To  make  matters  worse,  the  course  of  the  river  was  im- 
peded by  sundry  huge  rocks  standing  up  here  and  there, 
which  threw  the  stream  into  violent  convulsions  of  eddies 
and  torrents  that  no  force  of  man  could  resist,  so  that  one 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          3°l 

minute  we  faced  one  way,  and  the  next  another,  to  our  great 
confusion  and  imminent  peril,  for  out  of  all  this  trouble  of 
rocks,  bushes,  trees,  dead  carcasses  of  cuacuparas,*  and  the 
like,  there  was  promise  of  a  speedy  end  (by  death)  to  all  our 
troubles  ;  and  certain  I  am  that  but  for  the  help  of  Provi- 
dence we  had  never  come  out  of  these  straits  alive. 

How  long  we  were  in  this  pickle,  whether  five  minutes  or 
five  hours,  I  know  not ;  but  I  take  it  few  men  are  so 
plagued  in  eighty  years.  And  not  one  instant  of  repose 
was  there  either  for  me  or  my  dear  lady  (who  throughout 
kept  a  cool  head,  and  helped  with  one  of  the  oars  to  stave 
off  this  or  that  floating  thing  as  surely  and  stoutly  as  any 
man),  for  ere  we  were  out  of  one  danger  we  were  into 
another,  and  destruction  menacing  us  on  all  sides. 

It  seemed  that  our  condition  could  be  no  worse  than  it 
was  ;  but  whilst  I  was  laying  this  fool's  flattery  to  my 
heart,  for  its  encouragement,  my  Lady  Biddy  cries  sud- 
denly : 

"  Hark,  Benet !     What  can  that  noise  be  ?  " 

Then  straining  my  ears,  yet  still  battling  with  trees, 
rocks,  etc.,  I  caught  the  sound  her  finer  ear  had  first  de- 
tected, which  was  like  the  rushing  of  a  great  wind  at  a  dis- 
tance. This  perplexed  me  greatly  for  a  space,  for  there 
was  but  a  little  air  stirring  ;  but  at  length,  growing  more 
used  to  the  sound,  which  increased  every  instant,  I  hit  upon 
an  explanation  of  it  which  struck  despair  into  my  soul. 

"  Lord  help  us  ! "  says  I,  "  'tis  the  cataract  we  were 
warned  against  by  the  Ingas." 

"  Oh,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  "  says  she. 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  dropping  my  oar,  "  there  is  nothing  to  do 
now  but  to  perish,  dear  cousin." 

But  she  was  not  minded  to  perish  tamely  thus  ;  and  see- 
ing we  were  drifting  upon  a  tree,  deftly  turned  her  oar  to 
my  side  and  pushed  the  canoe  from  it,  to  our  immediate 
salvation.  Thus  put  to  shame  for  my  cowardice,  I  picked 
up  my  oar  and  strove  again  vigorously  to  keep  in  clear 
water. 

But  now  the  roaring  of  that  fall  was  grown  to  the  loud- 
ness  of  thunder,  and  casting  my  eye  that  way  I  perceived  a 
kind  of  cloud  rising  above  the  river,  which  was  nothing  but 

*  A  sort  of  stag,  as  big  as  any  Devonshire  cow. — B.  P. 


302  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

the  vapor  thrown  off  by  the  heat  of  this  vast  river  in  falling 
such  a  prodigious  depth. 

Hitherto  we  had  striven  only  to  keep  to  the  middle  of 
the  river,  but  now  I  glanced  to  the  side,  for  there  only 
might  we  chance  to  escape  being  engulfed  in  the  cataract  ; 
though  only  to  be  crushed  amidst  the  tearing  heaps  of  tim- 
ber that  swept  the  shores.  To  my  astonishment,  I  saw 
nothing  but  steep  rocks  on  either  hand  ;  for  being  entirely 
occupied  in  steering  away  from  the  floating  masses  on  the 
river,  I  had  taken  no  note  of  the  changing  character  of  the 
country  we  had  entered.  In  that  glance  I  perceived  there 
was  no  escape  by  the  sides  ;  so  that  there  seemed  truly  no 
way  but  to  go  down  with  the  water  into  that  terrible 
abysm. 

And  yet  my  spirits  recoiled  from  such  an  end,  being 
stirred  up  to  a  desperate  antagonism  by  the  frightful  noise 
of  the  waters,  that  appeared  to  me  like  the  impatient  roar- 
ing of  some  great  cage  of  famished  lions  awaiting  their 
meal. 

Lady  Biddy  glanced  round  her  at  the  same  moment,  and 
I  saw  no  look  of  hope  in  her  face.  In  truth,  she  saw  no 
escape,  for  now  we  were  come  within  the  cold  vapors  of 
the  fall,  that  fell  on  us  like  an  autumn  mist ;  and  so  she 
turned  her  face  to  me,  and  seeing  naught  but  despair  there, 
her  face  lit  up  with  a  gentle  smile,  and  she  held  forth  her 
hands  for  me  to  take.  Her  lips  moved  as  I  clasped  her 
dear  hand,  and  though  I  could  hear  never  a  sound  from  the 
thundering  of  the  fall  now  close  to  our  ears,  I  knew  full 
well  that  those  last  words  were,  "  God  bless  you,  dear 
Benet  !  " 

The  thought  that  she  must  die,  so  beautiful  and  sweet, 
and  still  but  in  the  budding  season  of  her  life,  and  that 
after  enduring  so  much,  and  striving  so  bravely  and 
heartily,  did  fire  me  with  a  very  madness  of  revolt  against 
Providence,  which,  as  I  wickedly  conceived,  had  doomed 
this  dear  girl,  against  all  reason,  justice,  and  mercy,  to 
death  ;  so  that  with  a  furious  cry  I  caught  up  my  oar  and 
struck  it  wildly  against  a  rock  upon  which  we  were  being 
carried. 

The  shock  of  this  encounter  bent  the  oar  till  it  snapped, 
though  it  was  made  of  the  toughest  wood  that  grows  in 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FAME.          363 

those  parts,  but  it  saved  us  ;  for  this  lusty  blow  turned  us 
about  from  the  current  that  was  to  the  left  of  these  rocks 
into  that  which  sped  to  the  right,  and  whereas  that  to  the 
left  went  not  more  than  two  fathoms  off  over  that  mighty 
fall,  the  right  passed  through  an  opening  in  this  rocky 
shore  which  we  had  not  hitherto  perceived,  and  here  were 
we  safe — at  least,  from  destruction  in  that  frightful  fall, 
thanks  be  to  God.  And  here  could  I  diverge  likewise  one 
moment  from  the  course  of  my  history  to  point  out  the 
heinous  folly  of  those  who  abandon  themselves  to  despair, 
under  the  conviction  that  Providence  has  decreed  their  de- 
struction, which  it  were  useless  to  struggle  against ;  for  in 
thus  yielding  they  do  more  surely  _ppose  the  decree  of 
Providence,  which  hath  given  us  functions  expressly  to 
preserve  ourselves. 

And  now,  I  saw,  we  were  in  a  manner  safe,  for  though 
the  stream  was  swift  and  strong,  much  encumbered  from 
wreckage  torn  from  the  banks,  etc.,  and  obstructed  with 
rocks  where  the  waters  shot  down  with  incredible  force, 
carrying  us  into  divers  eddies  and  whirlpools  below,  yet 
were  our  ears  unassailed  by  that  fearful  roar  of  torrents 
which  had  paralyzed  us.  And  after  a  while  being  carried 
through  that  chain  of  hills  we  came  in  view  of  a  great 
plain,  flooded  over  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  so  that  it 
looked  like  nothing  but  a  vast  sea,  which  flood  was  naught 
but  the  overflow  of  the  River  Baraquan,  poured  through 
the  passage  by  which  we  had  escaped  the  great  falls.  Here 
was  there  no  current  except  on  the  verge  of  the  hills,  and 
that  running  gently  ;  and  as  these  hills  ran  westward  we 
kept  our  canoe  in  the  stream,  hoping  that  it  would  run 
again  into  the  Baraquan  at  a  safe  distance  below  the  falls, 
which  seemed  to  me  the  more  likely  because  it  bore  towards 
a  gap  in  some  reasonably  high  mountains  hemming  in  the 
plain  to  the  southwest. 

After  running  about  two  hours,  as  I  judge,  at  about  a 
league  and  a  half  to  the  hour,  and  passing  through  this  gap, 
though  with  such  diminished  speed  that  I  had  to  use  my  oar, 
we  came  into  a  lake  of  still  water,  about  a  mile  across,  and 
shut  in  all  around  with  a  ragged  wall  of  crystal  or  silver,  I 
know  not  which — only  this  I  will  answer  for,  that  when  a 
ray  of  sunlight  touched  them  for  a  minute  the  eye  was 


304          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

blinded  by  the  dazzling  glister.  On  some  parts  this  wall 
of  rock  rose  flush  from  the  water  ;  but  elsewhere  there  was 
a  little  sloping  ground  fairly  well  wooded,  but  so  flooded 
with  the  water  that  had  streamed  into  this  basin  from  the 
Baraquan  that  some  of  the  trees  on  the  border  rose  not 
more  than  four  fathoms  above  the  surface. 

Issue  from  that  lake  saw  I  none,  save  by  the  passage  we 
had  entered  ;  but  I  did  not  concern  myself  greatly  on  this 
head  then,  my  main  anxiety  being  to  find  some  refuge  where 
we  might  repose,  for  the  day  was  drawing  to  a  close.  Not 
a  morsel  of  food  has  passed  our  lips  for  nigh  on  twenty- 
four  hours  ;  and  what  with  our  exertion,  terror,  and  hunger 
we  were  spent  and  sick. 

To  this  end  I  paddled  the  canoe  towards  those  rocks 
which  rose  (as  I  have  said)  sheer  from  the  water,  and  by 
good  luck  we  came  to  a  craggy  part  on  the  western  side 
which  led  up  to  a  deep  cavern,  which,  to  our  great  com- 
fort, we  found  as  dry  as  any  barn.  But  that  which  con- 
tented me  as  well  as  anything  in  this  cavern  was  a  great 
bank  of  dry  leaves  in  the  further  extremity,  the  product  of 
countless  years,  borne  hither  by  the  winds,  which  in  these 
parts  do  constantly  blow  from  the  east. 

"Here,"  thinks  I,  with  glee — "  here  shall  my  dear  lady 
lie  warm  and  dry  at  least  this  night." 

However,  before  deciding  this  way  we  made  a  fire  of  dry 
leaves,  to  be  sure  there  was  no  savage  beast  or  venomous 
worm  hiding  in  the  cavities  ;  but  there  was  no  sign  of  any 
live  creature  having  been  there  before  us,  save  birds, 
whereof  were  some  empty  nests  in  the  crevices.  So  hither 
we  transported  the  goods  from  our  canoe,  not  forgetting 
those  acutis  we  had  brought  with  us  ;  and  having  satisfied 
the  cravings  of  nature  with  what  broken  victual  we  had 
(being  more  hungry  than  nice),  we  knelt  down  side  by  side 
with  one  accord,  and  rendered  thanks  to  God  for  his 
mercy  to  us.  Indeed,  our  hearts  were  full  of  gratitude  and 
peace  ;  so  that  when  our  lips  had  ceased  to  speak,  our  spirits 
were  yet  very  still  and  meditative.  Thus  it  came  about  that 
instead  of  setting  to  (as  I  intended)  to  make  some  sort  of 
sleeping-chamber  for  my  gentle  lady,  I  sat  d%own  beside  her 
on  a  little  knoll,  and  through  the  mouth  of  our  cavern  we 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          30$ 

watched  the  pink  light  fade  out  of  the  pearly  clouds  in 
silence. 

Before  I  could  rouse  myself  to  an  active  disposition  my 
sweet  little  comrade,  quite  overcome  by  the  fatigue  of  that 
long  day,  fell  asleep  where  she  sat.  First  her  chin  drooped 
upon  her  breast,  and  then  inclining  towards  me,  her  shoulder 
rested  against  my  side,  whereupon,  to  give  her  support,  I 
put  my  arm  about  her  body,  with  no  unholy  intent,  but 
reverently,  as  any  father  might  encircle  his  child.  Pres- 
ently she  raised  her  head  with  a  deep-drawn  breath,  and 
all  unconscious  laid  her  face  against  my  breast,  and  so 
fell  again  into  a  deep  slumber,  with  the  innocent  calm  of 
a  little  child.  And,  though  her  pretty  head  was  so  near 
that  I  might  have  touched  it  with  my  lips,  I  did  not  take 
advantage  of  her  unconsciousness  in  this  way  (thanks  be 
to  God),  nor  in  any  other  which  would  give  me  shame  to 
remember,  my  heart  being  filled  with  an  ecstasy  of  pure 
love,  softened  with  a  compassionate  sorrow,  that  one  of 
her  sex  and  condition  should  be  brought,  by  rude  hard- 
ship and  cruel  fortune,  to  this  pitiful  estate. 

When  she  gave  signs  of  awakening,  I  made  a  feint  of 
yawning  and  stretching  my  arms,  and  then  jumping  up  I 
cries : 

"  Lord,  cousin,  I  do  believe  we've  been  a-napping  !  " 

"  Why,  where  are  we,  Benet  ? "  says  she. 

"  That  we  will  presently  see,"  says  I  ;  and  putting  some 
leaves  on  the  embers  that  yet  glowed,  I  blew  them  up  into 
a  flame,  and  by  this  light  in  a  twinkling  I  set  up  a  mat 
with  the  oar  and  a  half  that  were  left  us,  and  begged  my 
lady  to  repose  herself,  if  she  would  make  a  shift  with  that 
poor  accommodation,  for  the  night. 

The  next  morning  being  tolerably  fair  we  made  a  voy- 
age around  our  lake,  and  though  we  examined  the  inlets 
and  rocks  closely  we  could  discover  no  issue,  save  that  (as 
I  have  said  afore)  by  which  we  had  come  in,  where  the 
waters  were  still  flowing  in  pretty  freely.  This  perplexed 
us  considerably,  for  besides  the  stream  from  the  Baraquan 
there  were  constantly  falling  into  the  lake  some  half  a  dozen 
runnels  from  springs  in  the  rocks  ;  yet,  as  we  could  plainly 
see,  the  water  had  not  risen  in  the  night,  but  rather  fallen 
away  if  anything.  However,  on  taking  a  second  turn 


306          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

round  the  lake,  we  were  like  to  have  had  this  mystery  ex- 
plained in  a  fashion  that  was  more  conclusive  than  agree- 
able ;  for  coasting  closer  than  heretofore  by  these  rocks 
that  rose  sheer  out  of  the  water,  we  felt  ourselves  sud- 
denly within  the  influence  of  a  current,  which  drew  us 
with  incredible  velocity  towards  a  deep  vortex  of  whirlpool, 
by  which  these  waters  were  drawn  into  some  subterrane- 
ous passage  through  the  rocks,  and  'twas  only  by  employing 
our  utmost  strength  and  skill  that  we  thrust  our  canoe 
out  of  the  flow,  and  so  (thanks  be  to  God  !)  escaped  being 
sucked  into  that  horrid  gulf. 

When  we  were  somewhat  recovered  of  the  disorder  into 
which  this  late  peril  had  thrown  us,  I  pointed  out  to  my 
lady  that  there  appeared  no  way  of  escaping  from  our  cap- 
tivity but  by  the  stream  that  had  brought  us  thither.  "  For," 
says  I,  "  'tis  questionable  if  ever  we  can  scale  those  steep 
and  slippery  rocks  that  surround  us." 

"  And  could  we  do  so,"  says  she,  "  we  must  go  empty- 
handed,  for  sure  we  could  never  drag  our  canoe  up  there, 
nor  any  of  those  things  that  are  necessary  to  us.  Nor  have 
we  any  assurance  that  we  shall  be  better  off  on  the  other 
side  of  those  rocks  than  on  this." 

"  You  are  in  the  right  of  it,"  says  I ;  "  then  there  remains 
nothing  for  it  but  to  get  back  into  the  Baraquan  as  best 
we  may." 

"  Ay,"  says  she,  "  but  we  must  assuredly  wait  until  the 
rainy  season  is  past — which  has  but  just  begun — for  'twere 
madness  to  venture  again  into  such  dangers  as  we  have  by 
a  miracle  escaped." 

On  hearing  this  I  turned  aside,  that  she  might  not  read 
in  my  face  the  exultation  of  joy  that  filled  my  heart.  And 
so  as  I  made  no  reply  she  said  in  a  rallying  tone  : 

"  Are  you  very  anxious  to  get  rid  of  me,  Benet  ?  " 

'Twas  on  my  tongue  to  answer,  "  If  I  could  make  cap- 
tivity endurable  to  you,  I  would  never  take  you  from  these 
rocky  confines";  but  I  kept  these  words  to  myself,  though 
what  reply  I  stammered  in  their  place  I  can  not  recall  to 
mind. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          3°7 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

THE   RAINY   SEASON    COMES   TO   AN  END,  BUT    BY   MY  DELAY 
WE  ARE  BALKED  OF  RETURNING  INTO  THE  BARAQUAN. 

HAVING  decided  to  dwell  on  that  lake  for  some  months 
to  come,  we  set  about  making  our  cavern  habitable. 
First  of  all  we  shifted  our  acutis  into  a  separate  cave 
hard  by  our  abode,  where  they  were  very  well  housed  ;  and 
thither  also  we  carried  all  the  dry  leaves  and  rubbish,  that 
we  might  have  our  floor  sweet  and  clean,  and  afford  no 
harbor  for  insects  or  worms.  Then  I  parted  off  a  fair 
corner  to  serve  as  a  chamber  for  my  lady  by  setting  up  a 
hurdle  which  I  made  of  suitable  wands,  bound  together 
with  lianes,  and  clothing  it  on  both  sides  with  palmetto 
leaves,  overlapping  each  other  and  pinned  to  the  hurdle 
with  thorn-stickles.  To  get  these  materials  I  made  several 
voyages  in  the  canoe  amongst  the  wooded  slopes  that  were 
partly  under  water  ;  and  in  these  excursions  I  found  a  good 
store  of  cassavy,  and  many  other  things  that  would  be 
useful  to  us.  When  I  had  finished  this  partition  to  my 
own  satisfaction  and  my  dear  lady's  admiration  (for  she 
missed  no  occasion  to  encourage  me  with  her  approval), 
I  hung  up  her  sleeping-net  and  set  one  of  the  mat  coverlets, 
which  I  had  taken  care  to  dry,  ready  to  her  hand.  I  would 
have  had  her  use  the  other  as  a  carpet  to  her  feet,  for  I 
could  have  slept  without  it  as  well  as  the  Ingas  do  ;  but 
she  wonld  by  no  means  hear  of  this,  so  that  I  was  forced  to 
forego  the  happiness  of  yielding  it  to  her  use. 

And  while  I  was  about  this  business  my  dear  comrade 
was  not  idle — no,  not  for  one  moment.  For  she  herself 
made  several  expeditions  in  the  canoe  alone,  getting  herbs 
for  her  conies,  who  were  so  appreciative  of  her  gentle  in- 
terest that  they  came  to  eat  from  her  hand,  and  did  (after 
a  while)  sit  of  a  row  at  the  mouth  of  their  cave  straining 
their  necks  to  catch  sight  of  her  coming  ;  and  storing  up 
in  that  cave  such  nuts  and  sticks  as  would  serve  for  fuel 
when  dry.  And  admirable  it  was  to  see  with  what  skill  she 
navigated  the  canoe,  and  how  resolute,  bold,  and  master- 
ful she  showed  herself  in  carrying  out  her  purpose — no 
matter  what.  Yet  I  was  heartily  pleased  when  these  journeys 


308          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

were  done,  for  all  the  time  of  her  absence  I  was  in  a  flutter 
of  fear,  going  every  other  minute  to  spy  out  from  the  cavern 
if  I  could  see  her,  and  counting  upon  mishaps  that  might 
come  to  her. 

Amongst  other  things,  she  brought  home  certain  heads 
of  broom,  with  which  she  brushed  the  walls  and  floor,  so 
that  not  a  speck  of  dust  was  to  be  seen.  And  all  the  time 
we  were  thus  working  together  she  kept  up  a  lively  gossip 
with  me,  save  when  we  had  naught  to  talk  about,  and  those 
intervals  we  filled  up  by  singing  together  certain  simple 
songs  that  Cornish  children  sing,  so  that  we  had  not  a  dull 
hour  all  day,  and  were  for  the  best  part  as  merry  as  any 
grigs. 

And  lest  any  one  should  be  disposed  to  think  ill  of  her 
(as  that  she  forgot  the  dignity  of  her  birth  and  breeding, 
and  the  delicacy  of  her  sex  in  wearing  the  garb  of  a 
boy,  and  laying  her  hand  with  light  heart  to  rough  toil),  I 
would  urge  this — that,  in  my  humble  thinking,  she  did  in- 
finitely more  to  maintain  her  character  for  nobility  and  true 
womanhood  in  making  the  best  of  her  position  with  this 
cheerful,  helpful  spirit,  than  if  she  had  left  all  labor  to  me, 
and  sat  her  down  to  bewail  and  bemoan  the  cruel  usage  of 
fortune.  For  a  surety  she  did  increase  my  respect  thereby, 
and  I  know  no  man  who  would  not  hold  her  sex  in  greater 
veneration  for  the  addition  she  made  to  its  virtues. 

I  lay  awake  the  best  part  of  that  night  scheming  im- 
provements of  our  dwelling-place.  "  As  my  hurdle  is  such 
a  success,"  says  I  to  myself,  "  I  will  make  another  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  part  off  a  corner  for  my  own  sleeping- 
place,  which  will  be  more  seemly  and  becoming  than  lying 
here  on  the  floor  of  our  parlor  like  a  torn  cat.  And  while 
I  am  about  it  I  may  as  well  make  a  third  to  shut  off  that 
nook  against  the  entrance,  which  will  serve  my  lady  very 
commodiously  for  a  kitchen.  And  there  might  I  set  up  a 
shelf  for  her  vessels  ;  and  also  with  stones  I  can  fashion  a 
fire-place,  with  a  back  chimney  to  carry  off  the  smoke. 
The  flat  stone  there,  if  I  can  raise  it  up  a  bit,  will  answer 
very  well  as  a  dresser  to  grind  cassavy  upon ;  but  I  must 
hunt  up  some  sort  of  slate  to  dry  it  upon  over  the  fire,  and 
likewise  for  baking  the  cakes  when  my  lady  has  made  them. 
More  gourds  I  must  get  for  certain,  that  my  dear  lady 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  3°9 

may  ever  have  store  of  fresh  water  to  her  hand  ;  and  this 
I  shall  do  well  to  fetch  from  one  of  the  fountains  ere  she 
rises  in  the  morning,  that  she  may  not  have  to  ask  for  it  or 
fetch  it  herself,  which  else  she  were  like  enough  to  do.  It 
will  not  be  amiss,  neither,  if  I  look  about  pretty  soon  for 
some  convenient  screened-off  pool  of  sparkling  water, 
where  she  may  bathe  freely.  And  now  for  our  living-room, 
which  will  be  square  and  neat  when  I  have  cut  off  the  other 
two  sides  as  I  design,  we  must  have  some  sort  of  table  and 
benches.  Polished  oak  have  we  none,  but  stones  in  plenty  ; 
and  a  fair  stone  set  up  straight  and  level  must  be  our  table  ; 
a  stone  also  will  serve  me  well  enough  for  a  seat,  but  my 
lady  shall  have  a  chair  if  it  cost  me  a  fortnight  to  make 
one.  In  the  mean  time  she  can't  be  left  a-standing  ;  so  a 
stone  she  must  have  for  the  present,  but  I  will  make  a  mat 
of  rushes  to  cover  it,  which  I  may  do  in  an  hour.  And 
while  I  am  cutting  these  rushes  I  may  as  well  get  enough 
over  and  above  to  strew  the  floor  of  her  chamber,  for  I 
can  not  abide  the  idea  of  her  tender  feet  encountering  the 
cold,  hard  rock.  As  for  her  chair,  I  may  fashion  the  frame 
with  stout  sticks  of  a  proper  kind,  bound  together  with 
lianes  crosswise,  like  the  letter  X,  and  it  shall  have  a  back 
and  elbows  if  my  ingenuity  carry  me  such  length,  and  the 
seat  and  back  I  may  make  of  rushes  woven  together.  If  I 
can  find  rushes  of  divers  colors  to  plait  with  a  pleasing  device, 
so  much  the  better ;  and  by  working  this  secretly  before  she 
rises  of  a  morning,  I  may  give  it  to  her  as  a  surprise  for  a 
birthday  gift  next  Monday  se'nnight,  which  must  needs 
give  her  pleasure,  however  poor  be  the  merits  of  my  work- 
manship." And  being  got  upon  this  theme  I  could  not  get 
away  from  it,  but  continued  to  revolve  this  chair  in  my 
mind  till  I  fell  asleep. 

I  have  no  space  to  give  an  account  of  our  life  day  by 
day,  though  I  fain  would — for  who  can  tire  of  narrating  the 
history  of  happy  hours  ?  And  so  briefly  I  must  tell  that  I 
carried  out  all  I  designed  that  night  I  lay  awake,  and  more 
besides,  for  every  day  discovered  new  necessities,  and  we 
begrudged  no  labor  that  ministered  to  our  common  com- 
fort. When  it  was  fine  we  went  a-hunting  of  waterfowl,  of 
which  there  was  abundance,  and  other  times  of  game  in 
those  woods  that  lay  high  and  dry ;  and  herein  did  my 


310          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

lady  show  herself  as  deft  and  skillful  as  in  all  else  to  which 
she  lent  her  hand,  bringing  down  her  quarry  with  an  arrow 
as  surely  as  ever  I  did,  so  that  there  was  no  lack  of  con- 
tentment on  either  side.  And  when  the  day  was  foul  we 
stayed  within  our  cavern — I  fashioning  arrows  or  such  like, 
and  Lady  Biddy  at  her  needle.  I  say  her  needle,  for  out 
of  thorns  we  contrived  to  make  things  that  answered  this 
purpose  ;  and  for  stuff  she  had  the  skins  of  animals,  which 
she  shaped,  with  incredible  ingenuity,  into  excellent  socks 
for  our  feet,  in  place  of  shoes,  which  were  now  pretty  nigh 
worn  out.  Nor  did  we  lack  amusement  for  our  leisure  hours, 
for  my  admirable  lady  being  an  excellent  player  of  checks, 
she  taught  me  this  game,  marking  our  dining-table  out  in 
squares  for  a  check-board,  and  using  divers-shaped  nuts, 
ground  flat  at  one  end,  for  men.  Also  I  tried  to  devise  an 
instrument  of  music  in  the  shape  of  a  dulcimer  ;  but  this  I 
succeeded  worse  in  than  anything  else,  for  we  could  get  no 
agreeable  notes  out  of  it,  nor  any  sound  that  was  worthy  to 
mate  with  my  dear  lady's  voice.  But  it  gave  us  amuse- 
ment, for  all  that,  and  many  a  hearty  laugh. 

In  this  way  the  winter,  as  I  must  call  it,  though  there  was 
never  a  chilly  day,  passed  away  ;  and  in  those  months  there 
was  not  for  me  a  single  wretched  hour,  save  when  the 
thought  forced  itself  upon  me  that  it  must  come  to  an  end. 
As  suddenly  as  the  rain  had  set  in,  it  ceased,  and  every 
cloud  vanished  from  the  sky  as  if  by  enchantment.  In 
twenty-four  hours  the  water  sank  as  many  inches,  and  as 
many  more  in  the  next  day.  With  the  return  of  the  sun 
the  birds  burst  into  song,  hallooing  and  whistling  from 
morn  till  night.  Lady  Biddy  went  quietly  about  her  duties 
and  said  nothing ;  nor  did  I ;  yet  all  day  long  a  voice 
seemed  to  be  saying  in  my  ears,  "  You  must  go,  Benet — 
you  must  go  !  "  Even  when  I  slept,  the  same  words  were 
repeated  in  my  dreams.  Yet  I  could  not  have  the  courage 
to  tell  Lady  Biddy  our  time  had  come.  But  on  the  third 
evening,  as  we  were  standing  by  the  mouth  of  our  cavern, 
that  bird  we  had  heard  before  in  the  mountains  gave 
tongue  to  his  strange  call.  And  my  lady,  clasping  her 
hands,  cried  : 

"  Falmouth  bells  !— Falmouth  bells  !  " 

"  Yes,"  says  I,  touched  by  the  plaintive  joy  in  her  voice, 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  3" 

"  they  are  calling  us.  We  must  g  6."  So  the  next  morning 
we  rowed  over  to  the  gap  in  the  mountains  to  see  if  the 
waters  were  suitable  for  our  departure  yet  awhile  ;  and 
there  we  found  a  great  bar  of  refuse  brought  down  by  the 
winter  flood  and  no  water  flowing  into  the  lake  ;  nor  was 
there  sufficient  depth  to  float  our  canoe.  This  proved  to 
me  that  we  ought  to  have  gone  the  moment  I  saw  the  water 
sinking,  but  for  shame  I  dared  not  admit  the  truth. 

"In  a  few  days,"  says  I,  "  the  plain  will  be  dry,  and  we 
shall  be  able  to  march  well  enough  to  the  Baraquan." 

"  We  must  leave  our  canoe  behind  us,  musn't  we,  Benet  ?  " 
says  my  lady  quietly. 

"  Ay,  but  what  of  that  ? "  says  I,  shortly  ;  "  can  not  we 
make  another  ? " 

"  Yes,"  says  she  ;  but  not  a  word  of  reproach  passed  her 
lips,  though  she  must  have  seen  that  I  was  to  blame  not  to 
have  started  while  there  was  yet  water  to  float  us  back  to 
the  river.  And  so  we  returned  to  the  cave  without  a  word, 
for  I  was  in  a  despicably  bad  temper,  because  I  knew  I  was 
in  fault  for  not  going  when  my  conscience  bade  me.  This 
ill-humor  possessed  me  all  day,  though  frequently  my  lady 
essayed  to  return  to  our  customary  free  and  cordial  under- 
standing ;  only  when  night  came  and  I  lay  awake  I  felt  re- 
morse and  grief  for  my  wicked  delay  in  the  first  place,  and 
my  foolish  perversity  after.  "  Fool,"  says  I  to  myself  bit- 
terly, "  not  content  with  robbing  your  dear  lady  of  freedom, 
you  have  marred  a  day  she  would  have  rendered  happy. 
It  may  be  the  last  she  will  ever  care  to  lighten  for  you." 

I  could  not  rest  for  the  torment  of  my  self-reproach. 
Getting  out  of  my  net  I  went  softly  in  the  dark  to  her 
kitchen,  and  passed  my  hand  over  the  things  she  was  wont 
to  use. 

"  Here,"  says  I  to  myself,  touching  her  dresser — "  here 
have  we  stood  side  by  side  grinding  our  cassavy,  mirthful 
and  light-hearted.  Why  were  we  so  happy  and  content? 
Because  I  had  none  but  good  intent  towards  her  ;  because 
she  was  confident  in  me.  Will  she  ever  have  faith  in  me 
again,  knowing  I  have  let  slip  her  chance  to  escape  ?  Can 
we  ever  more  be  happy  together  ?  " 

Before  daybreak  I  rowed  over  to  the  gap,  and  thence  as 
soon  as  it  was  light  I  perceived  that  vast  plain  green  as  far 


31 2  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY,  FANE. 

as  the  eye  could  reach  with  the  young  shoots  of  reeds,  laid 
bare  by  the  further  sinking  of  the  water  ;  but  for  some  dis- 
tance round  and  about  the  gap  and  extending  by  the  hill, 
where  the  water  had  flowed  in  from  the  Baraquan,  was  a 
great  bed  of  yellow  mud,  neither  firm  enough  for  the  foot 
nor  liquid  enough  for  the  canoe.  Seeing,  therefore,  that 
no  escape  was  possible  until  this  mud  grew  hard  (if  ever  4t 
should),  I  went  back  very  desolate  to  the  cavern.  And 
there  was  our  morning  meal  spread  on  fair  fresh  leaves, 
which  Lady  Biddy  employed  for  a  table-cloth,  and  that  dear 
creature  waiting  to  greet  me  with  a  cheerful  bright  counte- 
nance, as  if  she  had  naught  to  reproach  me  with,  though  I 
marked  a  shade  of  anxiety  beneath  her  sweet  smile. 

I  told  her  where  I  had  been,  and,  putting  as  good  a  face 
on  it  as  well  I  could,  added  that  we  must  wait  a  few  days 
for  the  ground  to  harden  ere  we  started  again  upon  our 
journey.  "  But,"  thinks  I,  "  'twill  never  harden,  for  surely 
from  those  hills  there  must  dribble  streams  that  flow  into 
the  lake  ;  and  here  must  my  dear  patient  lady  linger  another 
whole  year."  And  with  this  reflection,  despite  all  my  ef- 
forts to  seem  easy  and  hopeful,  I  fell  into  a  despondent 
mood. 


CHAPTER  LX. 

WE   TRY  ANOTHER  MEANS  OF  ESCAPE,  WHEREBY  WE  ARE  AS 
NEARLY  UNDONE    AS   MAY    BE. 

PRESENTLY  my  little  comrade  (as  I  call  her)  got  up 
1  from  her  chair,  and  seating  herself  beside  me  on  my 

stone  stool,  laid  her  hand  very  tenderly  on  my  arm, 
and  says  she  gently  : 

"  You  will  tell  me  what  is  amiss,  Benet,  won't  you  ?  " 

Upon  this  I  told  her  my  trouble,  and  how  I  must  blame 
myself  night  and  day  for  not  having  started  to  get  back  into 
the  Baraquan  when  the  rains  first  gave  over  and  the  water 
began  to  sink. 

"  Why,"  says  she,  "  'twas  too  late  ;  for  sure  the  water 
must  have  ceased  to  overflow  from  the  great  river  before  it 
ceased  to  flow  into  the  lake,  and,  therefore,  we  must  have 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          3*3 

found  at  the  entrance  to  the  Baraquan  just  such  a  deposit 
of  impassable  mud  as  lies  at  the  entrance  of  the  lake. 
Thus,  had  we  started  when  your  conscience  very  unwisely 
bade  you,  we  should  have  been  finely  served,  for  there 
must  we  have  stuck  betwixt  two  barriers,  neither  able  to  go 
forward  nor  to  get  back.  Nor  do  I  see,"  adds  she,  "  how 
we  were  to  have  mended  matters,  for  it  had  been  madness 
to  start  before  the  rains  ceased,  and  'twas  too  late  when 
they  had." 

In  this  manner  did  she  reason  with  me,  to  my  ineffable 
comfort,  for  naught  that  she  urged  was  less  cogent  than 
tenderly  considerate.  But  what  delighted  me  even  more 
than  getting  this  heavy  load  of  responsibility  taken  from 
my  shoulders  was  the  evidence  of  her  admirable  judgment 
and  good  sense  in  this  matter  ;  for  though  her  wealth  of 
goodness  beggared  me  indeed  by  comparison,  I  was  better 
pleased  a  hundredfold  to  admire  her  wisdom  and  feeling 
than  if  I  had  suddenly  discovered  myself  blessed  with  these 
excellent  qualities. 

"  Cousin,"  says  I,  "  the  justice  of  your  conclusions  leaves 
me  no  ground  for  regrets,  save  that  I  had  not  previously 
consulted  you  in  this  business." 

"  Why,"  says  she  with  a  merry  laugh,  "  that  is  a  regret  I 
would  not  remove,  for  it  may  prompt  you  not  to  leave  your 
'  little  comrade '  at  home  in  perplexity  next  time  you  go 
a-boating  in  the  dark." 

After  that  we  went  together  day  after  day  across  the  lake 
to  examine  the  ground  ;  but  'twas  no  better  on  the  seventh 
day  than  on  the  first,  but  worse,  for  then  we  gave  up  all 
hope  of  the  ground  ever  getting  firm  enough  to  traverse. 
As  I  feared,  the  springs  and  rills  from  the  hills  kept  it  con- 
tinually moist,  and  the  ground,  being  nothing  but  filthy 
ooze,  gave  no  hold  whatever  to  the  foot,  as  I  found  to  my 
cost,  when  I  attempted  it,  sinking  up  to  my  middle  ere  I 
had  gone  two  paces,  and  with  the  greatest  difficulty  getting 
back  with  no  worse  misfortune.  In  addition  to  this,  as  the 
sun  grew  in  power,  this  slough  began  to  fester  and  putrefy, 
throwing  off  stinking  vapors  that  raised  our  gorge.  But 
that  which  made  this  pestilent  belt  more  abhorrent  to  my 
lady  then  all  else  was  the  prodigious  number  of  great  worms 
and  hideous  reptiles  that  came  hither  to  writhe  and  wallow 


3«4          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY 

in  the  foul  slime.  So  (as  I  say)  at  the  end  of  a  week  we 
decided  that  no  issue  by  that  part  was  possible. 

And  now  I  began  to  cast  my  eye  at  the  mountains  that 
hemmed  us  in,  for  I  was  bent  upon  getting  away,  and 
would  harbor  no  thought  of  of  staying  there,  however  I 
might  be  tempted  by  inclination  that  way  ;  and  spying  one 
part  which  looked  more  broken  than  any  other,  I  begged 
my  lady  to  let  me  go  and  see  if  it  were  any  way  passable. 
But  she  would  not  hear  of  my  going  alone,  though  willing 
enough  to  go  anywhere  if  she  might  share  the  peril  ;  so  pro- 
vided with  a  store  of  food  for  the  day  and  a  stout  stick 
apiece,  we  started  off  early  one  morning  to  make  the  ven- 
ture. 

For  the  first  few  hours  we  got  on  well  enough,  by  the  help  of 
our  sticks  and  such  shrubs  as  grew  in  the  fissures  and  cracks; 
but  when  we  reached  that  part  where  the  mountain  was  less 
broken  and  no  herbs  grew,  our  troubles  began  ;  and  to  tell  of 
all  our  difficulties — how  we  had  to  leap  like  goats  in  one 
part,  and  climb  with  hands  and  feet  like  cats  in  another  ;  how 
we  had  to  go  back  and  try  new  ways  time  out  of  mind — 
would  be  tedious  indeed  ;  but,  to  cut  this  matter  short,  we 
came  about  three  in  the  afternoon  to  where  the  mountain 
rose  sheer  up  on  one  side,  and  lay  in  a  great  smooth  flat 
table,  inclining  towards  the  lake,  on  the  other,  and  there 
was  no  way  to  go  forward  but  upon  this  sloping  table. 
And  here  I  would  have  my  lady  desist  from  further  adven- 
turing ;  "  for,"  says  I,  "  if  our  foot  slip,  naught  can  save  us 
from  sliding  down  this  rock  as  down  the  roof  of  a  house, 
and  shooting  ourselves  a  thousand  feet  on  to  the  crags 
below." 

"  But  our  foot  must  not  slip,  Benet,"  says  she.  "  And 
there  is  no  more  clanger  here  than  we  have  encountered 
before." 

Still  I  hesitated,  but  she,  thinking  I  was  concerned  only 
for  her,  urged  me  to  go  on  ;  and  I,  on  the  other  hand,  con- 
sidering that  this  was  our  last  and  only  chance  of  escape,  at 
length  consented,  only  bargaining  that  she  should  give  me 
her  hand  to  hold. 

"  Ay,"  says  she,  "  that  will  I  willingly  ;  for  if  you  go  I 
have  no  mind  to  stay  behind." 

"  Nor  I  neither,"  says  I.     And  so,  recommending  our- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          315 

selves  to  Providence,  we  went  forward  with  our  hands 
locked  together. 

Now  went  we  along  in  this  sort  without  accident  a  hun- 
dred yards,  maybe,  and  then  to  my  horror  (I  being  ahead, 
with  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  rock  under  my  feet)  I  discovered 
that  we  had  come  to  the  end  of  that  sloping  rock,  and  that 
another  step  would  have  plunged  me  down  a  great  yawning 
fissure  that  showed  no  bottom  ;  all  was  black  below. 

"  What  is  it,  Benet  ? "  says  my  lady,  as  I  came  to  a  stand, 
for  she  dared  not  take  her  eyes  from  the  ground,  lest  she 
should  be  seized  with  a  vertigo. 

"  We  must  go  back,"  says  I  quietly  ;  "  there  is  an  abyss 
beside  me  which  we  can  not  cross." 

"  Very  well,"  says  she  after  a  moment's  pause.  "  Tell  me 
when  you  are  ready." 

"  We  will  wait  a  minute  till  your  strength  comes  back," 
says  I,  for  I  felt  her  fingers  quivering,  despite  my  close 
hold. 

"  Nay,  let  us  go  at  once,  lest  my  courage  fail,"  says  she 
faintly.  "  But  have  a  care  when  you  come  to  the  little 
ledge  :  it  is  loose  ;  I  felt  it  slide  under  my  foot." 

"  Let  me  change  places,  that  I  may  go  first,"  says  I. 

"  No,  no  ! "  cries  she  in  an  agony,  as  I  was  about  to 
move  ;  "  for  Heaven's  sake,  do  not  venture  down  the  slope 
to  pass  me — do  not  leave  go  of  my  hand." 

"  So  be  it,"  says  I ;  "  but  do  prythee  await  till  you  feel 
stouter  of  heart."  And  then  I  tried  to  restore  her  confi- 
dence by  all  the  means  I  could  ;  but  indeed  my  own  heart 
quailed  within  me.  For  to  realize  our  terrible  position,  you 
must  fancy  yourself  standing  on  the  steep  roof  of  the  high- 
est cathedral,  with  no  parapet  to  arrest  your  fall,  and  one 
of  the  slates  so  loose  that  it  may  slip. under  your  foot,  no 
matter  how  carefully  you  step. 

"  Thank  you,  Benet,"  says  my  dear  lady.  "  You  have 
brought  my  courage  back.  Come,  let  us  go." 

So  with  that  she  begins  that  backward  journey  ;  but  now, 
instead  of  looking  to  the  rock  under  my  own  feet,  I  was 
casting  my  eyes  to  my  dear  lady's  for  that  loose  rock  she 
had  spoken  of.  Presently  I  caught  sight  of  it — a  great  slab 
that  lay  on  the  slope,  with  no  space  behind  for  a  footing, 
and  too  wide  to  step  across.  And  seeing  this  I  sought  with 


3i<5  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

an  eager  fury  for  some  means  of  stopping  our  fall  if  this 
slab  should  slide  under  our  feet,  but  I  could  spy  nothing 
but  a  fissure  behind  the  slab,  into  which  I  might  by  chance 
thrust  my  arm  in  falling. 

Now  scarcely  had  my  eye  made  this  out  when  my  dear 
lady  stepped  on  the  slab,  and,  to  my  sickening  horror,  I 
perceived  it  tilt  a  little,  being  very  nicely  poised  ;  and 
doubtless  had  I  set  my  foot  firmly  upon  it  at  that  moment, 
our  combined  weight  would  have  held  it  firm  and  stationary, 
as  it  had  in  passing  over  it  before,  until  it  was  released  of 
my  weight.  But  this  did  not  occur  to  my  slow  wit  at  the 
right  time — nay,  rather,  seeing  this  movement,  I  held  back, 
and  would  have  drawn  my  lady  away.  This  hesitation  (and 
maybe  a  little  jerk  I  gave  in  my  terror  to  her  hand)  was 
fatal,  for  ere  I  could  cry  aloud  to  her  the  great  slab  slid, 
and  my  dear  lady,  in  striving  to  keep  her  balance,  lost  her 
footing  and  fell  ;  then  seeing  that  I  was  like  to  be  drawn 
down  the  slope  myself,  when  nothing  in  the  world  could 
have  saved  us  from  sliding  with  the  slab  to  perdition,  I 
threw  myself  on  my  face,  and,  flinging  aside  my  stick, 
thrust  my  arm  down  that  rent  in  the  rock  of  which  I  have 
made  mention.  Thus  I  lay  sprawled  on  that  steep  incline, 
half  the  length  of  my  left  arm  wedged  in  the  fissure  above 
my  head,  and  my  right  hand  linked  to  my  Lady  Biddy's  as 
she  lay  prone  upon  the  slab. 

My  sole  thought  was  to  hold  my  dear  lady,  and  this  was 
no  slight  matter,  for  the  edge  of  the  slab  had  caught  in  her 
waist-belt,  so  that  for  a  moment  she  and  that  great  mass  of 
rock  hung,  as  I  may  say,  on  my  bent  arm.  In  that  moment 
the  bone  of  my  forearm  snapped  like  a  dry  stick,  and  indeed 
I  thought  my  muscles  must  be  torn  asunder  also,  so  sharp 
and  strong  was  the  strain  upon  it  ;  but,  thanks  be  to  God, 
my  lady's  belt  bursting,  the  slab  slid  from  beneath  her,  and 
so  was  I  relieved  of  that  prodigious  weight. 

We  heard  the  slab  screech  as  it  grated  down  the  slope  ; 
then  followed  an  interval  of  silence,  in  which  one  might 
have  counted  a  score,  followed  by  a  great  crash  as  the  rock 
fell  upon  the  crags  below,  smiting  my  soul  with  awe  to 
think  how  we  had  surely  been  hurled  down  with  it  to  our 
utter  destruction  but  for  a  mercy  of  Providence. 

But  my  arm  was  powerless  to  draw  myself  up,  and  fear- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          3*7 

ing  the  torment  of  it  might  take  away  my  senses,  so  that  I 
might  let  my  lady's  hand  slip,  I  called  to  her. 

"  Cousin,"  says  I,  "  are  you  hurt  sorely  ? " 

"  No,"  replies  she  faintly,  "  only  frightened,  Benet." 

"  God  be  praised  !  "  says  I.  "  And  so  do,  if  you  may, 
roll  hither  and  climb  up  by  my  body  to  the  rock  above,  for 
I  have  no  strength  left." 

And  this  she  did,  but  with  great  pain  and  trouble,  for  the 
dear  soul  trembled  in  every  limb,  and  was  faint  from  the 
shock.  I  helped  her  as  well  as  I  might  with  my  right  arm, 
yet  could  I  do  but  little  for  my  own  sickness.  However, 
she  presently  got  strength  from  a  source  which  never  fails 
to  invigorate  such  hearts  as  hers  ;  for,  coming  as  high  as 
my  shoulder,  she  cries  : 

"  Dear  Benet,  your  arm  is  broken  ";  and  with  that  she 
quits  my  body  and  starts  to  her  feet,  which  had  she  not 
dared  to  do  under  other  conditions. 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  take  no  heed  of  that,  but  do  place 
your  feet  upon  that  crevice,  which  will  give  you  a  good 
hold." 

"  Ay,  surely,"  says  she,  stepping  up  briskly.  "  Now  may 
I  help  you,  my  poor  Benet  ;  give  me  your  right  hand,  and 
have  no  fear.  See  how  strong  I  am  !  " 

Indeed,  in  helping  me  to  my  feet  she  proved  herself  as 
lusty  as  any  man  ;  and  in  getting  from  that  horrid  slope  to 
a  place  of  safety  I  owed  more  to  her  a  hundredfold  than 
she  to  me. 

Of  her  readiness  and  tenderness  in  making  a  sling  to  bear 
my  arm  ;  of  her  gentle,  encouraging  words  as  she  led  the 
way  down  the  rocks  to  our  cavern,  ever  choosing  the  way 
most  direct  and  least  difficult  for  me  ;  of  her  thoughtful- 
ness  in  running  forward  to  fetch  me  cool  water  from  a 
spring  to  sup  ;  of  these  things,  I  say,  and  many  others,  I 
have  no  words  to  speak,  for  no  words  that  I  know  of  can  do 
her  justice. 


3i8  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

CHAPTER  LXI. 

I   FALL   INTO    A   DISMAL  SICKNESS,    AND   RECOVER  THEREOF. 

WHEN  we  were  got  into  our  cavern,  my  dear  lady,  of 
her  own  hand  and  wit,  cut  some  strips  of  bark  to 
serve  as  splints,  and  some  of  that  grass  which  she 
used  to  shred  for  threads  ;  then  ripping  up  the  sleeve  of 
my  doublet  she,  with  her  gentle,  soft  fingers,  set  the  bone  of 
my  broken  arm,  and  bound  it  up  in  the  bark  as  ably  and 
well  as  any  clever  surgeon  could  have  served  me.  After 
that,  seeing  that  the  sweat  of  agony  stood  on  my  face, 
despite  the  joy  it  gave  me  to  feel  the  touch  of  her  sweet 
hand,  and  to  note  how  admirably  skillful  she  was  in  this 
business  (as  in  all  else),  she  would  have  me  lie  down 
awhile  ;  and  to  this  end  she  spread  one  of  our  mats  on  the 
floor  of  our  living-room,  that  J  might  get  the  benefit  of  the 
air,  and  made  up  a  pillow  for  my  head  with  a  bundle  of  soft 
herbs  that  we  kept  in  store  for  the  conies  ;  and  scarce  had 
I  laid  my  head  down  with  a  look  and  a  little  murmur  to 
express  my  heartfelt  gratitude  (for  I  had  no  power  to 
speak)  when  the  things  about  me  seemed  to  swim  round 
and  round,  and  I  lost  consciousness. 

I  lay  in  a  foolish  dream  some  time  (though  what  absur- 
dity was  in  my  mind  I  cannot  recall),  and  waking  at  length 
to  my  proper  senses,  the  first  thing  I  observed  was  that 
something  cool  and  soft  pressed  my  forehead,  and  looking 
up  I  perceived  my  little  comrade  kneeling  beside  me,  with 
grave  wistfulness  in  her  deep  eyes. 

"  What  o'clock  is  it  ?  "  says  I,  like  any  fool. 

"  Nay,  never  mind  about  the  hour,  dear  Benet,"  says  she 
tenderly  ;  and  with  that  she  shifts  her  hand,  which  was  that 
I  felt  so  gratefully  cool  on  my  forehead.  But  she  shifted 
it  only  to  set  the  other  in  its  place,  whereupon  I  sighed 
with  comfort.  Seeing  I  was  pleased,  she  smiled  sweetly, 
and  says  she  : 

"  D'ye  know  me,  Benet  ?  " 

"  Ay,  cousin,"  says  I,  "  why  should  I  not  ?  " 

"  'Tis  three  days  since  you  last  called  me  '  cousin.'  Your 
mind  has  been  wandering  away  from  me." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  "  says  I. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          JI9 

"  I  feared  you  were  going  to  leave  me  here  alone  for 
ever,"  says  she,  her  voice  trembling,  and  her  eyes  twinkling 
with  a  tear.  "  But  you've  come  back  to  me  after  all,"  adds 
she  with  a  faint  laugh,  and  a  little  gulp  as  she  turned  aside 
to  dash  the  tears  away  with  her  unoccupied  hand. 

"  God  be  praised  !  "  says  I. 

"  Amen,  amen,  amen  !  "  says  she  with  passion.  "  And 
now  do  you  taste  of  this  broth  I  have  made." 

So  I  quickly  made  a  shift  to  sit  up,  with  her  help,  and 
eagerly  emptied  the  gourd  of  the  broth  she  had  prepared  ; 
for  not  only  was  I  prodigious  hungry,  but  a  stout  determin- 
ation seized  me  that  I  would  overcome  my  weakness,  and 
give  this  dear,  dear  companion  no  further  anxiety. 

"  Give  me  some  more  if  you  have  it,  cousin,"  says  I. 

"  To  be  sure  I  have  more,"  says  she.  "  What  sort  of  a 
housewife  should  I  be  if  my  larder  were  empty  when  I  ex- 
pected company  ? " 

Watching  her  narrowly  as  she  hurried  herself  to  refill  the 
gourd,  I  observed,  with  a  keen  pang  of  sorrow,  that  her 
sweet  face  was  thin  and  worn  with  care,  albeit  her  fair 
countenance  was  overspread  with  a  glow  of  happy  con- 
tentment. 

She  bade  me  lie  down  again  when  I  had  emptied  the 
second  bowl  of  broth  ;  and  then,  to  please  me,  she  brought 
her  breakfast  (for  'twas  early  morning),  and  ate  it  sitting 
on  the  ground  beside  me,  which  was  her  will  and  not  mine. 
And  when  I  asked  her  what  had  been  amiss  with  me,  she 
told  me  I  had  been  light-headed,  and  would  for  ever  be 
a-starting  off.  to  find  my  uncle  Sir  Bartlemy,  though  too 
weak  to  rise,  and  obedient  to  her  hand,  though  I  knew  her 
not.  "  But,"  says  she,  "  since  yesterday  morning  you  have 
had  no  strength  even  to  speak,  and  I  have  heard  no  sound 
but — "  She  stopped,  but  I  knew  by  the  sound  that  rose 
from  her  tender  bosom  it  was  her  own  sobs  she  had  heard. 
"  But  all  that  is  past,"  says  she  cheerily  ;  "  and  now  you 
will  soon  be  well  again,  and  strong,  won't  you  ? " 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  "  I  promise  you  I'll  be  master  of  those 
mountains  in  a  week." 

"  Benet,"  says  she  earnestly,  "  you  must  grant  me  a 
favor." 

"  With  all  my  soul,"  says  I. 


330          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

"  Then  promise  me  you  will  never  again  essay  to  pass 
those  terrible  mountains.  Promise  !  "  says  she.  "  And 
this  also — that  you  will  not  approach  that  pestilent  marsh, 
for  I  do  think  'tis  the  fetid  mists  from  the  corruption  there 
which  has  thrown  you  into  this  sickness." 

"  You  ask  too  much  of  me,"  says  I,  "  for  how,  but  by  one 
of  these  ways,  can  I  hope  to  carry  you  hence  ?  You  have 
not  reflected  on  that." 

"  Yes,  I  have,"  says  she  quietly.  "  I  know  that  I  am 
asking  you  to  stay  with  me  in  the  captivity  to  which  our 
fortunes  have  brought  us.  Have  we  not  sought  by  all  the 
means  in  our  power  to  escape  ?  If  Providence  willed  us  to 
go  hence,  should  we  be  thus  cruelly  rebuffed?  Is  it  not 
better,  Benet,  to  live  here  together  than  to  perish  singly  ? 
Oh,  I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  that.  To  be  left  alone — 
no  one  to  speak  to — no  voice  to  cheer  me  !  Have  we  been 
unhappy  ?  Can  we  ever  be  without  comfort,  striving  each 
to  make  the  other  happy  ?  We  may  yet  improve  our  cabin  : 
the  summer  is  at  hand." 

"  Say  not  another  word,"  says  I ;  "I  ask  no  more  than 
to  continue  as  we  have  lived."  Indeed,  I  was  like  to  have 
become  light-headed  again  with  the  prospect  revealed  to 
me  and  the  overflow  of  joy  in  my  heart ;  and  this  tumult 
of  emotion  threw  me  back  again,  not  yet  being  quit  of  my 
fever,  so  that  I  lay  down  exhausted  in  a  kind  of  lethargy, 
from  which  I  could  not  arouse  myself  even  to  taste  the  food 
from  my  dear  lady's  hand,  which  she  has  prepared  for  me. 
Nay,  towards  evening  I  felt  as  if  my  last  hour  had  come 
for  weakness,  and  when  she,  kneeling  by  my  side,  laid  her 
sweet,  cool  hand  upon  my  head  as  before,  asking  me  how  I 
did,  'twas  with  much  ado  I  could  open  my  eyes  to  reply  by 
a  look  that  I  was  very  easy  in  my  mind,  as  indeed  I  was, 
suffering  no  sort  of  pain,  but  only  a  very  sweet  dreaminess 
to  think  she  was  to  be  my  companion  always.  So  I  lay 
with  my  drowsiness  growing  on  me,  never  moving  a  hand- 
stir  till  the  moon  rose  and  shone  upon  me  through  the 
mouth  of  the  cavern,  where  doubtless  I  looked  like  one 
dead,  as  I  think,  for  my  dear  lady,  still  kneeling  beside  me, 
began  to  weep  softly,  which,  though  I  heard  it,  I  could  find 
no  check  by  any  hopeful  sign,  because  of  my  heaviness. 
Then,  taking  my  hand  and  bending  low,  she  murmurs  with 


THE  ADMIRABLE   LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          32! 

a  broken  voice,  and  such  disconsolate  tones  as  were  enough 
to  move  the  heart  of  the  dead  : 

"  You  won't  leave  me,  Benet  dear — you  won't  leave  me  !  " 

And  at  that  I  managed  to  open  my  eyes  and  say  "  No  "; 
therewith  making  bold  to  lift  her  hand  a  little.  Then  she, 
seeing  what  I  would  be  at,  aided  me,  so  that  I  laid  her 
lovely  hand  on  my  mouth  and  kissed  it. 

So,  animated  with  a  new  vigor,  and  a  sturdy  determina- 
tion that  I  would  not  yield  to  this  faintness,  but  would 
master  it  for  her  sake,  I  contrived  to  ask  her  if  she  would 
make  me  a  potion  of  those  herbs  the  Ingas  had  given  us, 
which  I  thought  would  do  me  good. 

"  I  have  it  here  ready,"  says  she,  "  if  you  can  but  raise 
your  head  to  drink  of  it.  Wait ;  let  me  slip  my  arm  under 
your  head  and  around  your  neck — so." 

In  this  tender  fashion  she  helped  me  to  rise,  and  set  the 
gourd  to  my  lips,  from  which  I  drank  the  brew  to  the 
bottom,  which  was  as  good  as  any  apothecaries'  drugs,  and 
full  as  bitter. 

This  potion,  together  with  my  persevering  resolution,  did 
me  a  world  of  good,  so  that  in  a  couple  of  hours  I  felt 
strong  enough  to  get  up  on  my  feet,  if  needs  be  ;  perceiv- 
ing which,  my  lady  acceded  to  my  entreaty,  and  laid  herself 
down  to  take  some  repose,  which  she  needed  sorely,  for  I 
doubt  if  she  had  closed  an  eye  all  through  my  sickness. 
For  my  own  part,  I  had  no  longer  inclination  to  sleep,  but 
lay  devising  means  for  improving  our  cavern  as  my  lady 
had  suggested,  for  one  thing  resolving  I  would  try  to  make 
a  partition  to  my  lady's  chamber  that  would  let  in  the  light, 
and  yet  secure  her  privacy,  which  I  proposed  to  do  with  a 
sash  of  canes  stretched  over  with  bladder-skin  ;  "  and 
thereon,"  thinks  I,  "  may  she  paint  some  pretty  devices  with 
such  juice-stains  as  we  can  get,  that  it  may  have  all  the 
pleasant  gay  look  of  a  painted  glass  window." 

"Twas  a  great  pleasure  to  me  devising  all  this,  but  the 
telling  of  it  the  next  morning  to  my  lady  was  yet  greater 
joy,  for  the  delight  she  showed  in  the  scheme.  She  brought 
her  chair  up,  and  sitting  beside  me  listened  with  sparkling 
eyes  a  whole  hour  to  all  1  had  to  say  on  this  trumpery  ; 
but  no  matter  seemed  paltry  to  her  which  interested  me, 
and  I  do  believe  she  would  have  given  her  serious  thought 


322  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

to  discourse  on  a  fiddlestick's  end  if  my  mind  had  been 
bent  that  way,  so  entire  was  her  sympathy. 

"  Benet,"  says  she  in  the  end,  "  I  do  think  there  is  no 
man  in  the  world  so  ingenious  as  you  in  the  service  of  a 
friend,  nor  so  unselfish  neither.  For  while  you  thought  I 
wished  to  quit  this  place,  naught  could  exhaust  your  pa- 
tience in  seeking  the  means  ;  and  now  that  you  find  I  would 
stay,  your  first  moments  of  consciousness  are  devoted  to 
making  my  life  here  agreeable.  Nay,  it  seems  to  me  that 
you  have  overcome  your  sickness  because  you  saw  that  my 
happiness,  my  very  life,  depended  on  it." 

"  Why,  so  I  have,"  said  I  ;  and  therewith  I  told  her  how 
that  I  had  taken  that  resolution  to  live  when  I  felt  myself 
sinking  into  the  heaviness  of  death. 

She  looked  at  me  with  kind,  wondering  eyes  as  I  spoke, 
and  for  some  moments  sat  in  silence,  her  hands  folded  on 
her  knees,  and  bending  towards  me.  Then  says  she,  "  Oh  ! 
Benet,  if  we  all  strove  to  live  for  our  friends  as  readily  as 
we  offer  to  die  for  them,  how  much  more  should  we  merit 
their  love  !  " 

Soon  after  this  she  took  her  bow  and  arrows  and  went 
off  in  the  canoe  to  seek  food  for  our  supper  in  the  wooded 
slope  ;  but  the  dear  girl  did  so  steer  her  course  that  I  might 
as  long  as  possible  see  her  from  where  I  lay  by  the  mouth 
of  the  cavern. 


CHAPTER  LXII. 

I  AM  PUT  TO  GREAT  TORMENT  BY  MY  PASSION. 

AS  soon  as  I  was  strong  enough  to  get  about,  I  went 
daily  with  my  lady  into  the  woods  a-hunting  ;  but  as 
yet  my  left  arm  was  useless,  though  getting  strong 
apace,  so  that  I  could  but  play  the  part  of  squire  to  her. 
But,  Lord  !  to  see  how  dexterous  she  was  with  the  bow,  did 
give  me  more  pride  and  pleasure   than  any  of  my  own 
prowess.     Yet  from  the  tenderness  of  her  love  for  all  living 
things  she  was  averse  from  this  practice,  which  we  men  re- 
gard as  an  amusing  pastime,  and  therefore  would  she  kill 
nothing  but  that  which  was  necessary  to  our  existence. 
I  remember  one  day,  when  she  had  drawn  her  bow  to 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          3*3 

shoot  a  dove  that  sat  pluming  its  wings  on  a  bough,  she  re- 
laxed the  string  and  returned  the  arrow  to  her  sheaf. 

"  Tis  a  fine  fat  pigeon,"  says  I,  "  and  we  have  naught  for 
our  supper  :  why  have  you  spared  it  ?  " 

"  Do  you  not  see  her  mate  in  the  bough  above  ? "  says 
she.  And  so  we  supped  on  fruit  and  cassavy  that  night ; 
but  with  no  regret. 

However,  if  there  were  moments  of  pain  in  these  expedi- 
tions, there  were  long  hours  of  delight ;  for  now  the  woods 
were  as  like  to  Paradise  as  the  mind  of  man  can  conceive, 
nothing  lacking  to  enchant  the  senses  ;  and  to  speak  of  all 
the  rare  and  beautiful  flowers  and  fruits  we  carried  home  to 
garnish  our  cavern  would  be  an  endless  undertaking.  And 
as  these  woods,  valleys,  and  purling  streams  were  like  Par- 
adise, so  was  I  like  a  blessed  soul  therein  ;  and  I  doubt  if 
many  men  in  all  their  lives  sum  up  so  much  pure  joy  as 
every  minute  yielded  to  me.  Here,  day  after  day,  I  strolled 
beside  my  dear  lady  in  the  shade  of  delicate  flowers,  envel- 
oped in  sweet  odors,  and  with  warbling  birds  around  us. 
But  to  my  senses  the  sweetest  music  was  her  voice,  the 
daintiest  bloom-  her  cheek,  the  most  intoxicating  perfume 
her  breath.  Looking  around,  it  seemed  to  me  that  all 
Nature  did  but  reflect  her  beauty,  and  therein  lay  its  per- 
fection. There  were  favorite  spots  where  we  would  rest, 
noting  the  development  of  familiar  things — how  these  buds 
expanded,  how  that  fruit  ripened,  how  the  young  birds 
began  to  stretch  their  naked  necks  beyond  the  nest's  edge, 
crying  for  food  ;  indeed,  there  was  such  scope  for  observa- 
tion, and  my  dear  lady  was  so  quick  to  perceive  and 
appreciate  all  things  of  beauty,  that  no  moment  was  dull  or 
tame. 

While  we  indulged  to  the  full  our  love  for  rambling,  we 
were  not  unmindful  of  domestic  things.  The  season  was 
now  come  for  plucking  silk  grass,  and  of  this  we  cut  an 
abundance,  and  laid  it  on  the  rocks  to  dry  ;  for  my  lady 
designed  to  plait  it,  in  the  Ingas'  style,  into  a  long  strip, 
which  she  might  make  up  into  clothing  by-and-by.  This 
plaiting  was  the  first  work  I  put  my  hand  to,  and  though  I 
bungled  sadly  over  it  to  begin  with,  I  grew  defter  in  time, 
so  that  I  could  do  it  as  well  in  the  dark  as  in  the  day. 
Many  an  evening  we  sat  weaving  our  grass  hour  after  hour, 


3*4  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

with  no  light  but  that  of  the  stars  as  they  twinkled  forth, 
chatting  the  whole  while  of  other  matters.  But  before  I 
got  to  this  proficiency — indeed,  as  soon  as  I  could  plait 
decently — I  made  a  hat  for  my  lady  ;  not  so  much  like  a 
woman's  as  a  boy's,  that  it  might  go  fairly  with  her  habit  ; 
and  this,  with  a  couple  of  bright  tail-feathers  from  a  macu- 
cagui  *  stuck  in  jauntily  o'  one  side,  became  her  mightily, 
though  I  say  it  ;  but,  for  that  matter,  anything  looked  well 
that  she  took  for  her  use. 

About  this  time  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  catch  a 
partlet  sitting  on  a  nest  of  fifteen  eggs  ;  taking  these  home 
without  delay,  we  clapped  the  eggs  in  a  corner  of  our 
conies'  cavern,  where  the  hen,  after  some  little  ado,  sat 
down  upon  them,  being  hemmed  in  with  the  hurdle  that 
parted  off  my  bed-chamber  from  our  parlor,  which  I  fetched 
out  for  that  purpose. 

About  a  fortnight  later  my  Lady  Biddy  came  to  me  in 
great  glee  one  morning  to  say  that  every  one  of  the  eggs 
were  hatched  out ;  and  I  know  not  which  looked  the  more 
content,  this  old  hen  strutting  carefully  amidst  her  chicks 
as  proud  as  a  peacock,  or  my  dear  lady  casting  some  cassavy 
pap  before  them  for  a  meal. 

And  now  the  conies  multiplying  prodigiously,  that  cavern 
was  full  of  young  live  things,  so  that  there  was  as  much 
work  to  provide  for  their  mouths  as  our  own  ;  but  there  was 
never  too  much  for  my  lady  to  do,  and  she  would  not  part 
with  a  single  one. 

"  They  are  my  children,"  she  would  say,  with  a  little  sad- 
ness in  her  smile. 

With  these  innocent  pleasures  and  hard  work  my  lady 
beguiled  the  days,  and  so  two  months  passed  away — two 
months,  as  I  say,  of  inexpressible  delight  for  me.  Not  a 
day  passed  without  my  discovering  some  new  charm  in  her 
person,  some  fresh  grace  in  her  character,  which  I  had  pre- 
viously overlooked.  And  how  to  keep  this  adoration  that 
filled  my  soul  from  overflowing  by  my  lips,  or  my  eyes,  was 
almost  more  than  I  could  compass. 

One  day  when  I  was  culling  a  nosegay,  and  seeing  in  the 

pale  pink  and  cream  hue  of  the  flowers  resemblance  to  my 

lady's  cheek,   I  (being  then  alone)  did   with  extravagant 

*  These  birds  are  as  like  our  pheasants  as  any  two  peas  in  a  pod. — B.P. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          325 

passion  bury  my  face  in  the  fresh  cool  bloom,  kissing  them 
till  my  transport  was  spent.  Then,  looking  again  at  the 
blossoms,  I  was  sobered  to  perceive  how  I  had  crushed  out 
their  freshness  and  beauty,  so  that  they  no  longer  bore  any 
likeness  to  my  dear  lady's  face. 

So  then  I  resolved  I  would  not  suffer  myself  to  fall  in  love 
with  her  ;  but  that  was  easier  said  than  done.  For  'twere 
as  easy  to  promise  you  would  not  grow  hungered  or  athirst. 
However,  one  thing  was  possible,  if  I  had  any  manhood, 
and  that  was  to  keep  my  love  from  being  known  to  my  dear 
lady. 

Nevertheless,  before  long  I  had  reason  to  believe  she  had 
guessed  my  secret,  for  she  also  grew  silent  and  downcast 
beyond  her  wont,  and  more  than  once  I  spied  her  looking  at 
me  with  pity  and  sorrow,  as  if  she  knew  of  rriy  trouble. 

One  day,  when  I  addressed  her  as  "my  lady,"  she 
said  : 

"  Why  should  you  call  me  by  a  title  here  where  there  is 
no  distinction  ?  Why  not  call  me  '  sister,'  Benet,  or  plain 
'  Biddy  '  ? — for  we  are  as  brother  and  sister  to  one  another, 
are  we  not,  and  must  ever  be  ? " 

This  hint  showed  what  was  in  her  mind  ;  and  yet  if  she 
had  learnt  my  secret,  God  knows  it  was  against  the  best  I 
could  do  to  hide  it. 

I  called  her  "  sister  "  after  that,  hoping  it  would  train  my 
mind  to  think  of  her  in  that  relation  ;  but  it  did  not,  so  that 
I  knew  not  what  remedy  to  get  for  the  fever  of  my  heart. 

One  morning  we  were  made  merry  at  breakfast  by  the 
partlet  making  her  way  over  the  rocks  that  divided  us  from 
the  conies'  cave,  and  bringing  all  her  brood  to  pay  us  a  visit, 
which  was  as  much  as  ever  she  could  tempt  them  to  under- 
take, and  called  for  prodigious  chuckling  and  scratching  on 
her  part.  Our  diversion  somewhat  relaxed  the  feeling  of  re- 
straint within  me,  and  when  my  dear  lady,  taking  up  a  chick 
in  her  fair  hands,  held  it  up  that  I  might  see  how  bright  and 
free  were  its  eyes,  I,  looking  all  the  while  upon  the  lovely  girl's 
head  that  was  so  near  me,  was  within  an  ace  of  bending 
down  to  touch  it  with  my  lips.  Now  this  being  a  Tuesday 
was  the  day  for  grinding  our  cassavy  meal,  and  perceiving 
by  my  heat  that  I  dare  not  trust  myself  to  stand  by  our 
bench  all  the  morning  beside  my  lady,  I  made  believe  I  had 


3^6          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

a  relish  for  fish  that  day,  and  begged  her  to  take  her  rod 
and  line  and  go  a-fishing  while  I  ground  the  cassavy. 

"  Nay,"  says  she,  "  do  you  go  a-fishing,  for  your  arm  is 
not  yet  strong  enough  to  do  this  hard  work  alone." 

But  I  protested  I  was  able  to  do  this,  my  arm  being  as 
well  as  ever  it  had  been,  and  that  she  was  a  better  angler 
than  I  (as  indeed  was  true),  and  so  she  presently  took  her 
rod  and  went  over  the  rocks  to  a  pool  where  fish  abounded. 
When  I  had  ground  my  meal  and  set  the  kitchen  neatly  in 
order,  I  betook  myself  to  the  rocks  straightway  ;  for  I  could 
never  abide  to  let  my  lady  be  long  out  of  sight  for  fear  of  ac- 
cident befalling  her.  And  that  I  might  not  scare  the  fish,  I 
approached  the  pool  noiselessly  ;  but  turning  a  rock  that 
screened  that  part  from  view  I  was  brought  of  a  sudden  to 
a  stand  by  spying  my  poor  little  comrade  sitting  on  a  big 
stone,  her  rod  lying  idly  beside  her,  her  elbows  on  her  knees, 
and  her  face  buried  in  her  hands.  She  made  no  .sound,  but 
I  could  see,  by  the  twitching  of  her  shoulders,  that  she  was 
sobbing.  Then  would  I  have  given  all  the  world  to  be 
able  to  go  thither  and  comfort  her — to  draw  her  to  me  and 
soothe  her  as  a  brother  might  his  sister.  But  reflecting 
that  we  were  but  brother  and  sister  in  name,  and  that  I 
should  but  add  to  her  distress  by  my  endeavors  to  assuage 
it,  I  drew  back  as  silently  as  I  had  come,  and  going  back  to 
the  cavern  I  sank  down  on  my  stone  stool  as  wretched  and 
sore  at  heart  as  might  be. 

"  Poor  soul,"  thinks  I,  "  she  must  needs  weep  at  times 
to  relieve  her  overcharged  heart.  There  are  birds  that  do 
pine  away  in  captivity.  This  is  no  home  for  her,  These 
chicks  and  conies  can  never  replace  the  friends  she  has  lost 
andean  never  hope  to  rejoin.  Here  there  is  naught  to  hope 
for  ;  even  Nature  must  cease  to  charm  her  when  she  sees 
that  these  mountains  and  waters  serve  as  the  bars  of  a  cage. 
What  cheerful  word  can  I  whisper  ?  What  can  I  do  to  bring 
joy  into  those  dear  eyes  ?  " 

In  this  sort  did  I  spend  the  time  till  I  heard  her  voice 
feigning  to  hum  a  merry  ditty,  when  I  also  put  on  a  careless 
look  to  hide  my  care. 

She  had  caught  half  a  dozen  fishes,  so  that  she  could  not 
have  given  way  long  to  grief  ;  nor  was  it  in  her  nature  to 
yield  to  useless  regrets.  If  I  had  judged  only  by  her  pres- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          3*7 

ent  manner  I  should  have  said  that  nothing  was  amiss  with 
her,  for  she  persevered  in  sprightly  conversation,  albeit  I 
could  join  in  it  but  poorly  ;  still,  as  we  sat  to  our  dinner,  I 
noted  that  the  lids  of  her  pretty  eyes  were  swollen  and 
red.  Also  I  observed  that  her  cheek  was  thinner  than  it 
used  to  be,  and  the  blue  veins  in  the  back  of  her  hand  more 
clearly  marked.  Then  it  struck  me  that  perhaps  her  de- 
jection arose  from  failing  health,  and  that  the  vapors  from 
the  fens,  wafting  over  the  lake,  had  already  attacked  her,  as 
they  had  before  seized  me. 

Then  of  a  sudden  the  thought  came  to  me  as  I  looked  at 
her — 

•'  What  should  I  do  without  my  dear  little  comrade  ?  " 

And  at  this  reflection  it  seemed  as  if  the  food  I  was  eat- 
ing must  choke  me. 

God  knows  how  I  got  through  that  meal.  When  it  was 
over,  I  made  a  pretense  of  feeding  the  conies  to  go  apart 
where  I  might  give  vent  to  the  terrible  emotion  that  brought 
me  to  a  despairing  grief.  And  saying  again,  "  What  should 
I  do  without  her  ?  "  I  wept  like  any  child,  but  with  the  dif- 
ficulty of  a  man,  so  that  I  felt  as  if  my  heart  was  being  torn 
out  of  my  breast,  and  beat  my  foot  upon  the  ground  in 
agony. 

However,  this  weakness  passed  away  with  my  tears,  and 
then  bracing  myself  up  with  more  manly  fortitude  I  swore, 
betwixt  my  clenched  teeth,  that  all  the  powers  of  Nature 
should  not  keep  my  lady  prisoner  there.  As  I  said  this,  my 
eye  fell  upon  a  mark  on  the  rock,  left  by  the  turbid  swollen 
waters,  and  marking  how  the  waters  were  now  fallen  from 
this  height  a  good  five  fathoms,  I  conceived  a  means  of 
escape  which  had  never  before  occurred  to  me. 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 

WE   ENTER    INTO    A    CAVERN,  THE    LIKE    OF    WHICH  NO    MAN 
HAS   EVER   YET    TOLD   OF. 

NO  sooner  did  this  new  idea  come  to  me  than  I  sprang 
down  the  rocks  to  where  our  canoe  lay,  stepped  into 
it,  pulled  up  the  stone  which  served  as  an  anchor,  and, 
in  a  perfect  rage  of  haste,  paddled  to  that  part  of  the  lake 


328          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

where,  as  I  have  told,  we  were  like  to  have  been  drawn 
down  with  the  whirlpool. 

To  this  region  we  had  found  no  occasion  to  go  since  our 
first  hazardous  voyage  thither,  there  being  no  woods,  but 
only  the  high  stony  mountain.  But  now,  nearing  this  part, 
I  perceived,  with  a  tumult  of  joy,  a  wide  cavern  in  the  rock, 
disclosed  by  the  falling  of  the  water  from  its  previous 
height  :  moreover,  there  was  no  longer  any  whirlpool  there, 
but  only  a  gentle  current  flowing  into  the  cavern,  which  was 
the  natural  efflux  of  the  streams  that  came  down  from  the 
mountains.  And  it  can  be  readily  understood  that  when  the 
waters  were  swollen  so  prodigiously  as  to  lie  some  depth 
above  this  cavern,  there  should  be  that  vast  eddy  as  they 
were  sucked  down  to  find  vent  by  this  passage. 

Without  fear  I  pushed  my  canoe  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
cavern  and  looked  within  ;  and,  though  the  pitchy  darkness 
of  it  was  frightful  enough,  yet  I  was  comforted  by  hearing 
no  great  noise  of  tumbling  water,  nor  even  the  faintest 
echo,  save  of  a  little  ripple,  which  convinced  me  that  I 
might  safely  venture  therein,  with  the  assurance  that  I 
should  come  to  no  horrid  falls,  but  reach,  in  due  course,  the 
issue  of  this  stream  upon  the  other  side  of  the  mountain. 
But  I  could  go  no  further  at  this  time  for  my  impatience  to 
carry  comfort  to  my  dear  lady.  So  back  I  went  with  as 
much  speed  as  I  had  come,  and,  seeing  my  dear  lady  stand- 
ing at  the  cavern-mouth,  I  cried  out  with  all  my  force  for 
joy.  Then,  coming  all  breathless  to  where  she  stood  in 
amaze,  I  essayed  to  tell  her  ;  but  for  some  moments  could 
utter  no  comprehensible  words. 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  you,  Benet  ?  "  says  she. 

"  My  little  comrade,"  gasps  I,  "  you  shall  weep  no 
more.  Your  cheek  shall  grow  full  and  rosy  again.  I 
have  found  the  means  to  get  from  this  accursed  venomous 
prison  !  " 

Lady  Biddy  looked  at  me  in  mute  amazement,  my  fever- 
ish excitement  giving  her  good  reason  to  doubt  whether  I 
was  not  bereft  of  my  reason;  but,  to  cut  the  matter  short,  for 
'twas  ever  to  me  an  easier  matter  to  act  than  to  talk,  I  begged 
her  to  step  into  our  canoe,  that  I  might  show  her  my  dis- 
covery. This  she  did  without  further  ado,  whereupon  I 
pushed  across  the  lake  till  we  came  to  the  newly-found  cav- 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.  329 

ern,  and  there  cast  out  our  anchor  of  stone,  that  we  might 
examine  the  entrance  at  our  ease. 

"  There,"  says  I,  pointing  into  the  grotto — "  there  lies  our 
road  to  liberty  !  " 

She  peered  into  the  darkness  some  time  in  silence,  and 
then,  with  a  hushed  voice — 

"  I  see  no  glimmer  of  light,  Benet,"  says  she. 

"  Nay,"  says  I,  "  doubtless  the  tunnel  reaches  far  and  has 
many  windings  ere  it  disembogues  beyond  the  further  side 
of  these  mountains  ;  but  assuredly  it  has  an  issue,  and  I 
conclude  the  passage  must  be  sufficiently  commodious,  since 
it  gives  no  echo  of  break  or  fall,  and  has  sufficed  to  carry 
off  the  vast  body  of  waters  so  speedily,  for  you  must  re- 
member how  suddenly  the  lake  fell  after  the  flood  ceased 
to  rush  in  from  the  Baraquan.  I  believe  you  have  nothing 
to  dread  here." 

"  I  am  ever  ready,"  says  she,  "  to  put  my  life  in  your 
hands  ;  but  have  you  no  fear  for  yourself  ?" 

"  I  value  my  life  only  as  it  may  serve  you,"  says  I  with  a 
transport. 

On  that,  with  a  sudden  impulse,  she  stretched  out  both 
hands  to  me,  while  her  eyes  were  flushed  with  a  tear  of  joy. 
As  quickly  I  seized  them  in  mine,  pressing  them  as  I  had 
not  hitherto  dared.  She  did  not  try  to  draw  them  away, 
but  smiled,  while  a  single  tear  coursed  down  her  cheek  ; 
and  if  I  had  drawn  her  to  my  breast  that  moment,  I  think 
she  would  have  made  no  resistance,  so  virginal  innocent 
was  her  heart,  and  pure  from  any  feeling  but  that  of  re- 
sponsive affection. 

We  lost  no  time  in  beginning  our  preparations  for  de- 
parture, and  that  evening  we  made  up  into  cakes  for  next 
day's  baking  all  the  cassavy  meal  I  had  ground  in  the  morn- 
ing for  our  week's  consumption.  I  was  up  at  daylight  the 
next  morning,  and,  having  made  a  good  fire  on  the  kitchen 
hearth,  killed  and  dressed  four  acutis  and  a  couple  of 
chickens,  for  there  was  no  knowing  how  long  we  might  go 
before  we  again  got  fresh  supplies.  By  this  time,  my  lady 
having  come  back  from  her  morning  bath  all  fresh  and 
bright  as  any  pink  after  a  summer  shower,  we  sat  down  to 
our  breakfast  very  merry  and  hopeful,  discoursing  all  the 
while  on  the  business  before  us.  After  that  she  set  to 


33°  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

a-baking  of  our  cakes  on  the  hearth  and  roasting  meat  at 
another  fire,  so  that  one  would  have  thought  we  expected 
to  entertain  friends,  and  were  preparing  a  banquet  for 
them.  While  this  was  about,  I  went  into  the  wood  to  cut 
some  poles  for  guiding  us  through  the  cavern,  and  also  I 
got  me  some  good  canes,  with  which  I  proposed  to  fence 
about  our  canoe,  that  we  might  be  fended  from  sudden 
encounter  with  sharp  rocks.  In  addition  I  gathered  a 
good  store  of  fresh  fruit,  and  a  quantity  of  cuati  nuts  on 
their  branches,  which  the  Ingas  use  for  lamps,  etc.,  than 
which  no  candles  of  wax  give  better  light  with  less 
smoke. 

All  these  things  I  carried  back  to  the  cavern  by  the  time 
the  sun  had  reached  the  meridian,  and  there  I  found  dinner 
spread  on  ourtable,  and  no  more  sign  of  disorder  than  on 
any  other  day,  my  Lady  Biddy  being  one  of  those  excel- 
lent rare  women,  who,  no  matter  how  busy  they  be,  keep  a 
clear  head,  and  neglect  none  of  those  comforting  attentions 
on  which  domestic  happiness  so  much  depends. 

The  rest  of  that  day  I  spent  in  strengthening  and  de- 
fending our  canoe  (our  fate  depending  thereon  as  much  as 
anything),  while  my  lady  packed  up  those  things  we  were 
to  carry  with  us  ;  and  many  a  time  she  came  to  me  in  dis- 
tress to  know  if  we  could  not  take  this,  or  if  we  must  leave 
that  or  t'other,  for  1  had  bid  her  take  no  more  than  was 
needful  to  us. 

"  The  truth  is,"  says  she,  when  I  went  to  her  once,  "  I 
have  not  the  heart  to  leave  anything  behind  ;  for  I  cannot 
touch  a  thing  but  that  it  reminds  me  of  the  pleasure  you 
have  given  me  in  making  it  for  my  use."  Then  after  a 
pause,  in  which  she  looks  around  her,  "  Oh  !  Benet,"  adds 
she,  "  I  never  realized  till  now  how  happy  we  have  been 
here  ;  so  I  must  needs  feel  sad  in  leaving  these  tokens 
behind." 

The  next  morning  we  packed  our  effects  in  the  canoe, 
and  this  being  done,  we  carried  my  lady's  pets  from  the 
conies'  cave  (as  I  call  it)  to  the  wood,  and  there  set  them 
free  ;  but,  Lord,  to  see  these  dumb  things  at  the  water's 
edge  (the  conies  on  their  hind-legs),  looking  after  their 
mistress,  as  if  they  had  a  notion  they  should  never  see  her 
again,  touched  our  hearts  with  sad  regret. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          331 

"  Farewell,  you  dears  !  "  says  my  lady  tearfully  ;  and 
then,  as  we  glided  past  our  cavern,  "  Farewell,  little  home  !  " 
but  she  could  say  no  more. 

So  in  silence  we  neared  that  cavern  where  we  were  about 
to  venture  our  lives  ;  for  I  now  perceived  how  serious  and 
grave  a  business  lay  before  me. 

Before  entering  the  grotto,  I  lit  one  of  the  cuati-nuts, 
and  stuck  it  in  a  fork  of  green  hard  wood  I  had  fixed  to 
the  prow  of  the  canoe  for  that  purpose.  Then,  my  lady 
having  a  pole  out  on  one  side,  and  I  one  on  the  other,  we 
recommended  ourselves  to  Providence,  and  pushed  into  the 
darkness. 

For  some  time  we  went  gently  down  with  the  current, 
only  using  our  poles  to  keep  us  head  foremost,  and  as  nigh 
the  middle  of  the  stream  as  we  could  judge.  And  here  it 
was  admirable  to  see  how  the  rocks  on  either  hand  and 
above  flashed  back  the  light  from  our  flaming  nuts,  for  all 
the  world  like  cut  diamonds  ;  but  after  a  while,  upon  look- 
ing back,  the  opening  of  this  cavern  (through  which  we 
had  come)  looked  no  bigger  than  the  flame  of  a  penny  can- 
dle, and  the  glitter  of  the  rocks  grew  less  perceptible,  from 
which  we  concluded  that  the  grotto,  instead  of  diminishing, 
was  increasing  in  capacity.  At  first  this  was  no  matter  of 
regret,  but  rather  the  contrary  ;  but  by-and-by,  when  we 
could  descry  no  light  at  all  behind  us,  nor  any  reflection 
from  the  rocks  around,  a  strange  feeling  crept  upon  me, 
for  which  I  can  find  no  name.  Save  the  reflection  of  the 
burning  nut  upon  the  black  water,  and  our  own  figures  as 
we  stood  up  in  the  canoe  (which  were  shadowy  enough  for 
creatures  of  another  world),  we  could  see  nothing.  The 
water  under  the  fire  lay  as  still  and  smooth  as  any  polished 
mirror  ;  for  aught  we  could  tell,  the  current  had  ceased  to 
flow,  and  we  had  come  to  a  standstill.  I  thrust  my  pole 
out  on  either  side  ;  it  touched  nothing.  I  slid  it  down- 
wards into  the  water,  and  my  arm  also  up  to  the  elbow, 
without  striking  the  bottom.  Then  I  struck  upward  as  far 
as  I  could  reach,  without  meeting  any  resistance.  And  on 
this  I  looked  in  my  lady's  face,  and  saw  it  white  as  a 
ghost's,  and  full  of  awe. 

"  We  seem  to  have  drifted  into  the  world  of  nothing/ 
says  I  sportively. 


332  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

She  lifts  up  her  finger  in  silence  a  moment,  and  then  in  a 
whisper  says  she  : 

"  There  is  no  echo." 

This  indeed  impressed  me,  more  deeply  than  all  the  rest, 
with  a  sense  of  that  vastness  and  obscurity  in  which  we 
stood  ;  and  I  could  not  speak,  for  fear  of  I  know  not  what. 
And  then,  as  we  stood  in  that  wondrous  silence,  there  came 
a  hollow  voice  from  the  immensity  above,  echoing  my  words 
after  all  this  interval,  but  in  such  a  hollow,  muffled  sound 
as  you  may  hear  after  dropping  a  stone  into  a  deep  well. 

"  Are  we  moving,  Benet  ?  "  says  my  lady,  drawing  a  little 
nearer  to  me. 

But  I  could  not  say  whether  we  were  or  not,  nor  knew  I 
any  device  to  ascertain  the  truth. 

I  made  my  lady  sit  down,  seeing  she  was  much  terrified 
by  this  strange  experience,  and  replenished  the  fire  at  the 
prow  ;  for  though  this  light  was  of  no  service  for  our  guid- 
ance, yet  I  felt  that  to  be  without  it  would  be  terrible,  in 
good  sooth. 

So  we  waited,  gazing  about  us  for  some  sign  of  change 
(with  the  hope  we  were  yet  moving  with  a  current  whose 
flow  was  too  even  for  perception),  until  I  guessed  by  my 
feelings  it  must  be  getting  on  for  noon.  Then,  with  what 
spirit  I  could  muster,  I  proposed  we  should  eat  our  dinner. 
But  a  more  ghostly  meal  I  never  ate  in  my  life  ;  for  all 
seemed  so  unreal  that  it  was  difficult  to  believe  in  our  own 
existence  almost.  Nay,  it  crossed  my  mind  that,  for  aught 
we  knew  to  the  contrary,  we  were  now  in  some  limbo  of  a 
future  state. 

"  I  do  not  think  we  are  moving,  Benet,"  says  my  lady, 
when  our  meal  was  at  an  end  ;  "  shall  we  not  use  our  oars  ? " 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  says  I ;  "  but  as  to  steering,  we 
must  leave  that  to  Providence."  Indeed,  I  should  long 
before  have  brought  our  oars  into  play  but  for  the  uncer- 
tainty as  to  whither  we  might  come.  For  'twas  as  likely  as 
not  we  should  pull  in  the  wrong  direction,  having  nothing 
for  our  guidance,  and  so,  getting  out  of  the  current  (if  cur- 
rent there  were),  come  into  some  stagnant  part  of  those 
waters,  where  we  might  paddle  about  forever  and  a  day  and 
find  no  exit ;  but  of  this  I  said  nothing,  lest  I  should  inspire 
my  lady  with  more  terrors  than  she  had  already. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          333 

And  so  we  rowed  on,  from  time  to  time  replenishing  our 
fire,  and  my  heart  sickening  at  the  thought  that  we  might 
be  pushing  into  the  depths  of  a  boundless  space,  and  away 
from  all  hope  of  deliverance.  We  had  food  for  a  week  ; 
but  I  doubted  our  fire-nuts  would  hold  out  three  days.  And 
when  they  were  all  spent,  we  must  row  in  endless  night, 
neither  seeing  each  other  nor  any  faintest  glimmer,  and  that 
only  till  our  food  was  spent.  At  this  I  did  fervently  pray 
for  mercy — if  it  were  only  to  catch  sight  again  of  the  mouth 
by  which  we  had  entered — that  we  might  get  back  once 
more  into  the  light  of  day.  My  poor  little  comrade  was 
thinking  at  this  time  of  the  sunlight  and  her  conies,  with  a 
longing  to  be  back  in  our  deserted  cavern,  as  she  told  me. 

We  rowed  till  our  strength  was  exhausted  ;  then  I  bade 
my  lady  lie  down  and  rest,  while  I  watched  and  kept  the 
nuts  burning.  When  she  had  taken  her  slumbers,  she 
insisted  upon  my  doing  likewise,  and  with  some  reluctance 
I,  in  my  turn,  lay  down  and  fell  asleep. 

I  awoke,  and  then  seeing  nothing  whatever,  for  the  light 
was  no  longer  burning,  I  cried  out  with  a  terrible  fear  that 
my  lady  was  no  more. 

But  her  sweet  voice  brought  me  quick  relief,  as  she  told 
me  that  she  had  thought  it  best  to  economize  our  fuel. 
"  And,  Benet,"  says  she,  "  are  we  not  more  likely  to  catch 
sight  of  a  faint  light  in  the  distance  if  we  have  no  fire  here 
to  dazzle  our  eyes?" 

"  Why,  there  you  are  in  the  right,  as  you  ever  are,"  says  I. 

"  That  emboldens  me  to  another  suggestion,"  says  she. 
"  As  we  have  not  been  rowing  for  many  hours,  it  may  be 
that  we  have  drifted  again  into  a  current,  so  do  let  us  rest 
as  patiently  as  we  can  doing  nothing." 

I  agreed  to  this,  and  we  passed  an  interminable  time,  as 
it  seemed,  as  best  we  might ;  but,  truly,  no  hours  ever  spent 
in  that  dear  soul's  company  were  ever  so  tedious  or  weary. 
For,  as  I  say,  we  had  no  means  of  telling  whether  we  were 
moving  or  standing  still ;  but  lay  there,  seeing  nothing, 
hearing  no  sound,  feeling  no  motion,  and  in  a  state  of  un- 
certainty and  dread  of  unknown  possibilities  that  was  enough 
to  drive  one  to  a  frenzy. 

And  so  we  lay  or  drifted  (I  know  not  which)  for  a  time 
that  seemed  to  have  no  end,  Once  or  twice  we  made  a 


334  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

pretense  of  being  hungered,  though,  Lord  knows,  'twas  pain 
to  swallow  a  morsel  for  our  vast  terror  ;  and  sometimes  we 
made  as  if  we  would  go  to  sleep  a  while,  but  could  never 
close  our  eyes  for  blinking  at  the  darkness  in  hope  of  seeing 
some  sign  of  light ;  and  from  time  to  time  we  burned  a 
fire-nut,  but  without  perceiving  any  change  at  all  in  our 
condition. 

But  at  length,  when  we  were  beginning  to  talk  of  the 
advisability  of  rowing  again,  for  we  were  as  blind  to  our 
position  as  ever,  to  our  unspeakable  joy  we  felt  the  cane 
fender  of  the  canoe  grinding  against  the  rocks,  and  before 
I  could  get  a  light  to  see  where  we  were,  my  lady  cried 
aloud  with  joy  : 

"  Look,  dear  Benet — look  up  there  !  " 

And  casting  my  eyes  round,  without  knowing  whither  she 
pointed,  I  presently  spied  a  bright  star ;  and  the  next 
moment  the  whole  starry  firmament  was  revealed. 

Thus  did  we  come  out  of  that  wondrous  cavern  in  the 
night,  having  gone  into  it  in  early  morning  ;  but  whether 
we  had  been  therein  one  day  or  three  we  could  never  make 
out. 


CHAPTER  LXIV. 
HOW  (AMONG   OTHER   MATTERS),  IN   SEEKING  TO   KILL  A 

SNAPPING  BOAR,  WE  FALL  UPON  AN  OLD  FRIEND. 

NO  hearts  were  more  joyful  than  ours  at  this  escape  from 
that  cave  of  eternal  night  (as  my  lady  called  it).     To 
us  the  little  stars  were  as  full  of  radiance  and  comfort 
as  the  sun  of  midday,  so  that  we  could  do  naught  but  feast 
our  eyes  for  a  long  while.     But  we  were  not  unmindful  of 
our  debt  to  Providence  for  this  deliverance,  taking  it  as  a 
special  mercy  that  we  had  been  brought  out  in  the  night  ; 
for   the  light  of  day  would  have  blinded  us  to  a  certainty 
after  being  plunged   so  long  in  impenetrable  darkness,  as 
men  eating  after  starvation  do  drop  dead  of  surfeit. 

Being  no  more  inclined  to  sleep  than  a  throstle  in  the 
morn  (for  this  was  to  us,  indeed,  rather  the  break  of  day 
than  the  fall  of  night),  we  went  gently  down  with  the  stream, 
which  was  of  a  reasonable  body,  winding  awhile  amongst 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          335 

rocks,  but  coming  at  length  to  an  open  country,  whence  we 
caught  sight  of  the  moon  resting  .on  the  tops  of  those 
mountains  we  had  passed  under,  and  more  fair  than  ever  we 
had  counted  it  before. 

For  many  days  our  minds  were  haunted  (as  of  a  dream) 
with  the  recollection  of  those  fearful  hours  under  the  moun- 
tains, and  meeting  some  friendly  Ingas  we  questioned  them 
about  it ;  but  as  well  as  we  could  make  out,  they  knew  it 
only  for  a  mighty  den,  whence  they  supposed  the  river 
sprang ;  but  they  knew  nothing  of  the  issue  on  the  other 
side,  none  ever  having  dared  to  go  beyond  a  few  fathoms 
of  its  entrance,  because  of  the  prodigious  darkness  and  ob- 
scurity therein,  etc. 

I  could  write  several  books  of  our  adventures  in  descend- 
ing that  river  into  the  Baraquan,  and  so  down  the  Oronoque, 
if  I  had  the  patience  ;  but  I  have  not.  For  a  man  can  not 
be  forever  a-counting  of  mile-stones,  but  must  needs  (see- 
ing himself  near  his  journey's  end)  run  on  amain,  taking 
little  heed  of  things  of  the  wayside.  And,  in  truth,  having 
got  again  on  the  broad  river,  with  an  easy,  free  current  to 
bear  us  onward,  and  Nature  above  and  around  smiling  upon 
us  encouragement,  we  openly  deemed  that  the  worst  of  our 
troubles  were  over. 

I  say  we  openly  deemed  this,  but  secretly  I  judged  that 
the  worst  of  my  troubles  was  to  come.  For  I  could  no 
longer  blind  myself,  as  I  had  in  the  beginning  of  our  journey, 
to  the  fact  that  in  the  end  we  must  part.  Nay,  remember- 
ing the  terrible  shock  I  had  sustained  that  day  in  our 
cavern,  when  I  thought  it  possible  my  dear  lady  might  die 
of  fever,  I  now  felt  it  my  duty  to  contemplate  our  inevitable 
separation,  in  order  that  when  the  time  came  for  our  fare- 
well I  might  bear  myself  with  becoming  fortitude.  So 
every  night,  when  I  lay  down,  I  repeated  to  myself  that 
awful  question,  "What  should  I  do  without  her  ?"  setting 
myself  to  devise  some  manner  of  life  by  which  I  might  re- 
concile myself  to  the  will  of  Providence.  In  this  way  I 
strove  to  armor  myself  against  the  sure  arrow  of  adversity. 

Whether  Smidmore  were  alive  or  dead,  as  I  sometimes 
guessed  he  might  be,  the  result  must  be  the  same  when  my 
lady  came  again  amongst  her  friends  in  England  ;  for  there 
must  she  resume  her  condition,  and  be  honored  as  a  lady 


336          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

of  position,  whilst  I  mnst  ever  be  plain  Benet  Pengilly,  and 
a  man  of  the  woods.  Thus,  knowing  I  must  lose  her,  I  be- 
grudged the  movement  of  the  sun,  and  saw  him  set  each 
evening  with  a  profound  melancholy,  knowing  another  day 
was  past  from  the  few  that  were  to  give  me  happiness. 

How  I  clung  to  those  days,  how  I  strained  my  senses  to 
catch  every  word  and  gesture  of  my  dear  lady's,  only  they 
can  imagine  who  have  been  warned  by  physicians  that  their 
dearest  friend  must  surely  die  ere  long.  'Twas,  indeed,  the 
feeling  that  had  choked  me  when  I  believed  my  dear  lady  to 
be  dying,  only  lessened  by  the  hope  that  after  my  last  hour 
of  joy  was  come,  long  years  of  happiness  might  be  her  por- 
tion. 

We  were  many  weeks — nay,  months — on  the  river,  and, 
as  I  say,  we  had  adventures  of  divers  kinds  without  number: 
some  pleasant,  and  some  distressful  ;  but,  on  the  whole,  my 
dear  lady's  health  and  spirits  being  of  the  best,  our  journey 
was  prosperous.  But  as  weeks  and  weeks  passed  on,  it  did 
seem  we  should  never  come  to  the  end  of  this  great  river 
and  now  we  began  to  grow  mighty  anxious  lest  the  rains 
should  set  in  again  ere  we  reached  the  coast  of  Guiana, 
which  would  enforce  us  to  take  refuge  from  the  floods  till 
the  season  was  past.  One  day  we  set  ourselves  to  calculate 
how  long  we  had  been  a-coming  from  the  cave,  and  what 
time  we  might  yet  have  for  our  going  ;  and  as  near  as  we 
could  reckon,  rain  might  be  expected  in  three  weeks.  But 
as  to  our  distance  from  the  coast,  we  were  without  means 
of  calculation,  the  Ingas  on  this  part  of  the  river  whom  we 
encountered  understanding  nothing  of  what  we  said,  and 
showing  such  hostile  spirit  as  made  us  chary  in  seeking 
them  for  information. 

It  was  our  practice  of  a  morning  to  leave  our  canoe  in 
the  mooring  we  had  found  for  it  the  night  before,  and  go  a- 
hunting  in  the  woods  for  such  fruit  and  game  as  we  required 
for  the  day.  From  one  of  these  expeditions  we  were  making 
our  way  back  to  the  canoe  with  nothing  but  some  fruit,  and 
that  none  of  the  best,  for  we  were  in  an  unfavored  part, 
and  our  eyes  on  the  lookout  for  any  kind  of  game  that 
might  serve  our  turn,  when  my  lady,  being  in  advance  of 
me,  suddenly  came  to  a  stand. 

"I  am  convinced,"    says  she  in  a  whisper,  as  I  came 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          337 

quickly  to  her  side,  "  that  I  saw  something  leap  behind 
yonder  thicket,"  pointing  to  a  clump  of  shrubs  about  a  fur- 
long distant.  "  Do  you  go,  Benet,  to  the  right,  while  I  make 
my  way  to  the  left,  that  between  us  we  do  not  miss  our 
game,  for  I  am  greatly  mistaken  if  it  be  not  a  tayacutirica."  * 

To  this  I  agreed,  begging  my  lady  to  have  a  care  for  her 
safety,  for  these  creatures  have  tusks  like  any  jack-knife  ; 
and  so  we  separated,  going  about  to  get  a  fair  shot  with 
our  arrows  at  the  beast.  Now,  to  get  to  the  further  side  of 
the  thicket,  I  must  either  cross  an  open  space,  or  round  a 
growth  of  high  shrubs  ;  and  as,  for  lack  of  provisions,  I 
feared  greatly  to  startle  our  quarry  before  getting  aim,  I 
chose  the  latter.  Scarce  had  I  got  beyond  the  thicket  wheh 
I  heard  a  scream  that  I  knew  at  once  no  boar  could  make, 
and,  fearing  my  lady  had  startled  some  savage  Inga  or  jagoa- 
rete  and  stood  in  peril,  I  drew  the  sword  from  my  belt  in 
a  twinkling,  and  leaping  out  of  the  scrub  into  the  open 
rushed  towards  the  thicket,  shouting  lustily.  But  ere  I  was 
half  across  the  open  I  heard  a  voice  cry  out  therefrom  : 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,  do  me  no  mischief.  'Tis  but 
your  humble  servant,  Matthew  Pennyfarden."  And  with 
this,  out  from  the  thicket  leaps  my  faithful  friend  ;  but  a 
sight  to  see,  for  the  rags  of  clothes  that  covered  his  naked- 
ness all  fastened  together  with  strings  of  grass  in  lack  of 
buttons,  and  a  great  bush  of  hair  about  his  head,  so  that  but 
for  his  voice  I  might  not  have  known  him. 

Before  I  could  recover  of  my  astonishment  he  seizes  my 
hand,  and  cries  he  :  "  Quick,  master,  behind  these  brambles 
for  a  refuge,  though  I  fear  never  a  Portugal  in  the  world 
now  I  have  you  at  hand." 

"  There  be  no  Portugals  here,  friend  Matthew,"  says  j. 

"  There  you  are  wrong,"  says  he  ;  "for  I  do  assure  you 
I  spied  one  of  'em  creeping  upon  me  with  a  bow,  when  I 
sang  out  in  the  hope  of  alarming  my  mates,  and  had  the 
good  chance  to  bring  you  forth.  Nay,  look  you,  master  ; 
there  is  the  young  villain  !  " 

Then  I  burst  into  a  good,  hearty  laugh,  for  the  "  young 
villain  "  to  whom  he  pointed  was  none  but  my  dear  lady,  who 
was  now  running  towards  us.  Then  discerning  who  it  was, 

*  These  tayacutiricas  are  a  kind  of  large  snapping  boars,  very  fierce. 
— B.  P. 


33^  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

on  spying  more  closely,  my  friend  Matthew  slaps  his  leg, 
and  cries  he  : 

"  Zookers  !  'tis  her  ladyship,  as  I  might  have  seen  if  my 
eyes  had  not  been  dimmed  with  a  fever.  I  beg  your  pardon 
a  thousand  times,  madam,  in  having  mistaken  you  for  a 
Portugal.  'Tis  not  the  first  time  I  have  fled  from  a  female, 
but  'twould  be  the  last  if  every  one  wore  the  breeches — 
saving  your  presence — to  such  advantage." 

"  Tell  me,  good  friend,"  says  she,  cutting  short  this 
pleasantry  on  her  costume,  "  have  you  happily  found  my 
uncle?  " 

"  Ay,  madam,"  he  replies.  "  That  I  did  by  such  good  for- 
tune as  I  shall  relate  to  you  at  our  leisure  ;  and,  sure,  I  was 
no  happier  to  find  him  than  he  to  be  found.  I  left  him  hale 
and  hearty  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oronoque,  where  he  guards 
his  two  ships  against  the  accursed  pirates  that  practice  their 
villainous  calling  in  those  latitudes.  His  loving  messages  to 
your  ladyship  and  to  your  master  I  can  but  ill  express  at 
this  moment  for  my  own  delight  in  seeing  you  once  more." 

And  therewith,  as  if  unable  to  restrain  his  affection  any 
longer,  he  threw  himself  upon  my  neck,  declaring  this  was 
the  happiest  day  of  his  life.  "  For  Lord  love  you,  master," 
says  he,  "I  thought  never  to  have  seen  you  again  ;  and  but 
for  the  strategy  I  have  learned  of  the  Portugals,  I  could  not 
have  persuaded  my  company  to  persevere  in  this  search 
for  you." 

"  Where  is  your  company,  friend  Matthew  ? "  says  I. 

"  Best  part  of  'em,  master,  are  dead  of  disease,  or  eaten 
up  by  wild  beasts,"  says  he  with  a  rueful  shake  of  his  head. 
"  Only  eleven  of  us  are  left  out  of  twenty-five  stout  and  lusty 
fellows  who  left  the  ships  in  the  beginning  of  the  summer, 
and  they  lie  about  a  mile  down  the  river.  'Twas  as  much 
as  three  boats  could  hold  us  with  our  stores  and  provisions, 
when  we  started  ;  but  now  a  single  boat  would  carry  us, 
for  our  stores  are  long  since  gone,  and  we  are  all  more  or 
less  wasted  with  privations  and  sickness.  Only  I  have  con- 
trived to  keep  a  little  flesh  on  my  bones,  and  that  was  due 
to  a  hope  which  the  rest  have  long  since  abandoned." 

"Are  we  still  so  far  from  the  mouth  of  this  long  river?" 
asks  my  lady. 

"  Nay,  madam ;  not  so  long  but  we  may  hope  to  get 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          339 

down  to  it  in  a  few  weeks,"  says  he.  "  Though  I  have  kept 
this  from  my  company,  lest  they  should  insist  on  returning. 
We  began  our  journey  when  the  river  was  still  swollen  with 
the  rains,  and  we  have  been  for  ever  a-going  up  those  riv- 
ers that  discharge  themselves  into  this,  whereof  there  are 
scores,  and  all  so  alike  that  no  man  can  tell  which  is  the 
right  but  at  a  guess.  Hows'mever,  no  such  trouble  shall 
we  have  now,  for  the  current  must  bear  us  to  the  sea,  and 
I  have  taken  good  note  of  the  way." 

In  this,  discourse,  and  much  other  for  which  I  have  no 
space,  we  made  our  way  to  the  river,  and  in  our  canoe 
speedily  dropped  down  to  that  part  where  lay  the  poor 
remnant  of  that  good  company  who  had  braved  so  much  to 
find  us. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

WE  COME  AT    LENGTH    TO    THE   MOUTH    OF   THE  ORONOQUE, 
BUT  WITH  DISMAL  FOREBODINGS. 

TT  was  piteous  to  see  how  these  poor  seaman,  ragged  as 
1  any  bears,  and  thin  as  hurdles,  were  affected  with  joy  when 

they  learnt  that  their  troubles  were  as  good  as  ended — 
weeping  and  laughing  by  turns,  like  very  fools.  This  extra- 
vagance of  delight  was,  I  say,  sad  to  behold,  for  sure  the 
sight  of  strong  men  who  have  lost  the  dignity  and  com- 
posure of  manhood,  and  are  brought  to  the  weak  condition 
of  little  children,  is  not  less  deplorable  than  the  aspect  of 
young  faces  overcast  with  the  care  and  anxiety  of  age. 

However,  this  was  but  the  shock  of  suddenly  returning 
hope,  and  when  the  transport  was  over  they  became  reason- 
able, and  mended  apace.  The  ease  of  going  down  that  river 
in  comparison  with  ascending  it  is  incredible,  as  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  in  one  day  we  passed  two  marks 
set  up  by  these  poor  fellows  at  intervals  of  eight  and  ten 
days.  At  each  of  such  marks  they  would  stop  to  give  a 
great  cheer  of  delight ;  then,  filled  with  fresh  vigor  by  these 
sure  signs  of  rapid  progress,  they  lay  themselves  with  such 
might  to  their  oars  that  'twas  as  much  as  my  friend  Matthew 
and  I  in  the  canoe,  with  Lady  Biddy  at  the  helm,  could  do 
to  keep  up  with  them. 


340  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

And  here  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  tell  that  my  dear  lady, 
before  joining  this  company  of  men,  had  taken  occasion  to 
change  her  stripling's  dress  for  the  gown  we  had  carried 
down  with  us,  for  now  there  was  no  longer  necessity  for  her 
to  penetrate  the  thick  woods,  exposing  herself  to  brier  and 
bramble,  and  she  would  no  more  appear  in  a  dress  unbecom- 
ing to  her  sex. 

We  had  been  descending  the  river  best  part  of  three 
weeks,  when  Pennyfarden  assured  us  we  were  nearing  an 
island  whereon,  to  lighten  their  boats  (in  order  to  make 
better  head  against  the  stream),  they  had  left  some  of  their 
stores  under  a  tent  made  of  a  lug-sail ;  and  soon  after  this, 
a  joyful  shout  from  the  company  in  that  boat  that  led  the 
way  signified  that  the  island  was  in  sight. 

"  Now,"  says  friend  Matthew — "  now  shall  we  be  all  able 
to  dress  ourselves  decently,  and  return  to  Sir  Bartlemy  like 
Christians,  for  amongst  the  stores  is  a  chest  of  excellent 
buff  jerkins  and  sea-boots." 

Presently,  coming  up  to  this  island,  where  the  seamen 
were  already  landed,  we  found  them  wandering  about  in 
great  vexation  and  trouble,  for  the  tent  had  been  torn  down, 
and  they  could  find  none  of  their  stores,  save  an  empty 
barrel  and  the  charred  end  of  their  chest,  which  had  been 
broken  up  for  firewood. 

At  first  we  set  it  down  that  the  Ingas  had  been  there  ;  but 
Pennyfarden,  casting  his  eyes  about  that  part  where  the 
empty  barrel  lay,  shook  his  head  ruefully,  and  declared  that 
they  had  no  hand  in  this  business. 

"  Pray  how  can  you  tell  that  ?  "  says  I. 

"  Why,  look  you,  master,"  says  he,  stooping  down  and 
picking  up  three  or  four  long  iron  nails  that  lay  scattered 
in  the  herb,  "  no  Inga  would  have  wantonly  cast  these  away, 
for  he  prizes  them  more  than  all  the  gold  and  precious 
stones  by  which  we  set  such  store.  And  they  have  not 
been  overlooked  or  dropped  by  accident,  for  they  were 
bound  up  in  paper,  and  lay  at  the  bottom  of  the  barrel ; 
and,  see,  they  are  scattered  broadcast  around  us — scattered 
by  those  who  themselves  had  no  need  of  such  things,  and 
were  meanly  minded  that  no  one  else  should  profit  by 
them — wanton  waste  and  devilry  that  the  worst  Inga  would 
not  be  guilty  of.  I  do  sadly  fear  that  this  is  the  work  of 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          34* 

mad  sailors;  what  say  you,  Master  Palmer?"  adds  he, 
addressing  an  old  seaman  who  had  joined  us. 

"  Like  enough— like  enough,"  says  Palmer  dismally  ; 
"  and  if  it  be  as  you  suppose,  then  Heaven  help  us  all. 
For,"  adds  he,  after  a  long-drawn  sigh,  "  none  of  our  ship- 
mates would  thus  destroy  and  waste  our  stores  unless  he 
had  mutinied  against  our  captain,  and  sought  to  bring  grief 
by  our  undoing." 

The  rest  of  our  company,  coming  up,  joined  in  this  opin- 
ion, and  one  cried  that  there  was  no  hope  left  us.  But 
my  lady,  who  was  ever  quick  to  spy  a  comforting  gleam 
where  none  saw  aught  but  dismal  clouds,  told  them  they 
did  wrong  to  despond  so  readily,  "  for,"  says  she,  "  if  some 
of  the  men  have  rebelled,  'tis  clear  they  have  gained  but 
little  by  it,  or  they  would  not  have  come  hither." 

"  You  are  in  the  right  of  it,  madam,"  says  Palmer.  "  If 
they  mutinied,  'twas  because  they  would  no  longer  lie  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Oronoque,  awaiting  our  return  ;  and  had 
they  succeeded  in  overcoming  our  good  captain,  they  would 
at  once  have  set  sail  and  gone  hence." 

The  company,  seeing  the  soundness  of  this  argument, 
plucked  up  courage  again  ;  but  we  all  agreed  that,  as  the 
mutineers  might  be  somewhere  betwixt  us  and  Sir  Bartlemy, 
we  must  proceed  with  caution  ;  and  as  the  nights  were 
fairly  light  (though  no  moon),  and  the  river  pretty  well 
known  to  us,  we  resolved  to  journey  only  by  night  hence- 
forth. 

By  the  end  of  that  week  the  rains  began  to  fall.  How- 
ever, this  gave  us  but  little  trouble,  for  not  only  did  it  in- 
crease the  strength  of  the  current  that  bore  us  onwards,  but 
it  lessened  our  danger  of  falling  in  with  marauders,  who 
would  now  be  forced  to  seek  shelter  of  some  sort.  Ly  chief 
concern  was  for  Lady  Biddy  ;  but  I  contrived  to  protect 
her  from  the  pelting  storm  with  a  very  fair  kind  of  tent  set 
up  in  the  canoe. 

We  reached  that  mouth  of  the  Oronoque  where  the  ships 
lay  at  nightfall  on  the  third  day  of  the  rains,  and  without 
molestation  ;  and  here,  though  it  was  too  dark  to  make  out 
the  vessels,  we  discerned  a  light  about  a  mile  out,  as  we 
judged.  Thither  we  considered  it  advisable  to  proceed  at 
once,  for  if  we  found  that  the  mutineers  had  overcome  my 


34*  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

uncle  and  held  the  ships,  then  might  we  with  more  likeli- 
hood return  to  land,  and  escape  with  our  lives  under  cover 
of  the  night. 

So  now,  with  as  little  noise  as  possible,  we  drew  out  into 
the  open,  Thomas  Palmer,  who  was  an  admirable  good  sea- 
man, leading  the  way  in  the  biggest  of  our  boats. 

We  were  yet  a  couple  of  furlongs  from  the  light  when 
Palmer  stayed  his  rowers,  and  we  coming  up  with  him,  he 
whispered  us  that  one  of  the  ships  lay  hard  by  without  light 
aboard  ;  and  sure  enough,  on  straining  our  eyes,  we  per- 
ceived on  our  right  hand  a  dark  mass,  which  might  well  be 
a  ship's  hulk,  but  I  could  make  out  nothing  for  the  pelting 
rain  and  .obscurity. 

"  Well,  Palmer,"  says  I,  "  what  is  best  to  do  ?  Shall  we 
examine  this  closer  or  go  on  ?  " 

"  Master,"  says  he,  "  I  am  for  examining  this  vessel.  For 
if  we  get  an  ill  reception  on  the  further  ship,  and  alarm  is 
given,  our  retreat  to  the  shore  may  be  cut  off  by  a  sortie 
from  this  here." 

So,  being  agreed  amongst  themselves,  we  drew  on  till  we 
reached  the  ship,  and  then  we  found  that  she  lay  aground 
and  on  her  side,  as  if  she  had  been  careened.  Twice  we 
pulled  right  around  her,  raising  our  voices  to  draw  atten- 
tion ;  but  no  one  stirred  abroad,  and  we  remained  unchal- 
lenged. Not  a  sound  could  we  hear,  nor  could  we  find  out 
much  with  our  eyes  for  the  darkness  and  rain  (as  I  say)  ; 
but  in  passing  those  ports  on  the  under  side  of  the  ship, 
that  lay  pretty  near  on  a  level  with  our  heads  as  we  stood 
up  in  our  boats,  a  most  sickening  stench  assailed  our  nos- 
trils. Not  knowing  what  to  be  at,  we  lay  still  for  a  few 
minutes,  listening  in  silence  ;  then  Palmer  called  out  lustily 
and  we  beat  the  side  of  the  ship  with  our  oars.  Never  a 
sound  did  we  get  in  reply,  nor  could  we  spy  sign  of  move- 
ment or  glimmer  of  light  anywhere,  which  put  our  super- 
stitious seamen  to  great  fear.  But  this  Thomas  Palmer, 
being  bolder  than  the  rest,  presently  volunteered  to  go  into 
the  ship  by  one  of  the  ports  and  get  some  explanation  of 
this  mystery,  which  he  accordingly  did,  and  after  being  ab- 
sent some  time  he  comes  again  to  the  port,  and  cries  out 
that  we  can  come  aboard  if  we  will,  for  there  is  none  there 
to  do  us  mischief. 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.         343 

"  What !  "  cries  one  of  the  seamen,  "  are  none  of  our  old 
mates  aboard  ?  " 

"  That  I  can  not  tell  for  the  darkness,"  says  Palmer ;  but 
mates  or  not,  this  I  will  answer  for — every  man-jack  of  'em 
is  dead." 

At  this  moment  Pennyfarden,  catching  me  by  the  arm, 
calls  out : 

"  Lord  love  us,  master  !  look  above  there." 

Looking  up  as  he  bade  us  we  then  perceived  (our  eyes 
being  now  grown  accustomed  to  this  obscurity)  two  bodies 
hanging  over  the  sea  about  a  fathom  from  our  heads  we  sat 
in  our  boats,  on  that  side  of  the  ship  which  (as  I  say)  in- 
clined over  towards  the  water.  Despite  the  dimness,  we 
made  these  out  to  be  the  corpses  of  men,  and  doubted  not 
that  they  hung  there  from  the  yard-arms  above. 

For  some  while  we  could  do  nothing  but  strain  our  eyes 
at  these  indistinct  objects  as  they  slowly  swung  in  the  little 
breeze  that  was  springing,  being  pierced  (as  it  were)  with 
fear  that  this  was  my  poor  old  uncle,  thus  barbarously  put 
to  death  by  the  mutineers  ;  but  still  more  terrified  with  the 
uncertainty  of  the  whole  business,  the  silence,  the  darkness, 
and  that  foul  stench  of  corruption  that  poisoned  the  air. 

"  Let  us  get  hence  !  "  says  one  of  the  seamen  hoarsely. 

"  Nay,  we  must  know  if  this  be  our  commander  that 
hangs  here  ere  we  venture  to  the  ship  where  there  is  light," 
says  Palmer.  "  Have  you  never  a  tinder-box,  master,  or 
anything  dry  enough  to  burn  ?  " 

I  had  my  tinder-gun  dry  in  my  pocket,  and  my  lady 
found  amongst  our  store  in  the  canoe  two  or  three  of  the 
cuati-nuts,  and  with  some  ado  we  contrived  to  get  these 
alight  under  the  tent  that  I  have  mentioned.  And  when 
they  were  well  ablaze  we  rowed  right  under  the  hanging 
bodies,  where,  standing  up,  I  suddenly  brought  the  flaming 
nuts  out  of  the  tent  and  lifted  them  up  as  high  as  I  could 
over  my  head,  so  that  the  light  fell  on  the  faces  above. 
Their  eyes  were  staring  wide  open,  and  their  lower  jaws 
were  dropped.  But  one  was  an  eye  short,  and  I  knew  him 
at  once  for  Ned  Parsons  ;  while  the  other,  by  his  pointed 
teeth  alone,  I  could  have  sworn  to  amongst  a  thousand  for 
our  old  enemy  Rodrigues  ! 


344          THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

TOUCHING  THOSE  INCIDENTS  THAT  HAD  HAPPENED  TO  SIR 
BARTLEMY  AS  HE  LAY  AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  ORONOQUE. 

TURNING   from  this  grisly    spectacle  while  still   the 
flame  was  bright,  Thomas  Palmer  cries  of  a  sudden: 
"  Why,  this  is  none  of  our  ships  ;  for  our  sides  are 
painted  of  a  lively  hue." 

Whereupon,  casting  my  eyes  that  way,  I  perceived  that 
this  was  none  but  that  great  black  ship  which  had  been  our 
undoing. 

So  now,  guessing  pretty  well  how  matters  stood,  we  no 
longer  hesitated  to  draw  towards  that  light  we  had  been 
making  for.  And  coming  to  it  anon,  and  calling  out  loudly 
for  those  aboard,  we  were  answered  at  once  by  the  lusty 
voice  of  my  stout  old  uncle,  who  had  been  brought  on 
deck  by  the  watch  on  perceiving  our  light  alongside  the 
black  ship. 

Hearing  his  voice,  my  Lady  Biddy  cried  in  her  sweet 
voice,  as  clear  as  any  bell  :  "  We  are  here,  dear  heart ;  we 
have  come  back  to  you." 

To  tell  of  the  great,  unbounded  joy  in  every  heart  when 
we  came  on  deck  would  call  for  more  wit  than  I  possess, 
so  I  must  span  that  over  and  come  to  the  time  when,  the 
day  beginning  to  break,  my  Lady  Biddy  was  induced  to  go 
into  the  cabin  prepared  for  her  ;  and  my  uncle  and  I,  grown 
calm,  sat  us  down  together  with  a  bottle  and  a  paper  of  to- 
bacco, and  he  fell  to  telling  of  his  adventures ;  of  which 
(not  to  wear)'  the  reader)  will  I  repeat  no  more  than  is 
necessary. 

"  You  see,  nephew,"  says  my  uncle,  "  when  we  anchored 
in  these  roads,  the  water  was  prodigiously  swollen  by  rea- 
son of  the  flux  of  rains  ;  for  you  must  understand  that 
there  is  a  bar  to  the  east,  which  does  in  a  manner  hem  in 
the  flood.  Well,  here  lay  we  very  peacefully  a  week  after 
the  party  had  set  out  in  search  of  you,  when  what  should 
we  spy  in  the  offing  one  early  morn  but  the  black  ship, 
which  I  knew  at  once  for  my  old  enemy,  and  another, 
which  hath  turned  out  to  be  none  other  than  our  first  ship, 
the  Adventurer )  fitted  out  as  a  pirate,  and  commanded  by 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          345 

that  villain  Parsons.  My  first  intent  was  to  stand  up  to 
them  and  pay  off  old  scores  ;  but  having  regard  to  the 
weakness  of  our  company  by  the  absence  of  those  picked 
men  gone  up  the  Oronoque,  and  reflecting  that  if  I  were  by 
any  accident  crippled  in  this  bout,  it  would  go  hard  with 
you  on  your  coming  hither,  I  was  persuaded  from  my  pur- 
pose ;  but  as  to  showing  our  heels  to  the  enemy,  as  some 
advised,  that  would  I  not  do.  They  cdme  on,  thinking  to 
make  light  work  of  such  small  fry  as  we  were  ;  but  we 
stood  to  our  guns  and  beat  'em  off  all  day.  However, 
when  we  could  no  longer  see  to  fight,  I  found  myself  so 
crippled  that  I  resolved  to  draw  our  little  barks  into  shallow 
water,  where  their  heavy  ships  might  not  dance  round  us 
on  the  morrow  as  they  had  that  day.  Accordingly  we  put 
our  boats  and  towed  us  in  till  we  touched  bottom.  The 
next  day  our  enemy,  spying  us  in  our  new  ground,  lifted 
anchor  and  bore  down  on  us,  thinking  to  pepper  us  all 
round  and  about  as  before  ;  but  presently  they  ran  aground 
at  a  decent  distance  from  us  by  reason  that  they  drew  so 
much  more  than  we  ;  nevertheless,  they  were  near  enough 
to  bruise  us  again  sorely  with  their  great  guns,  and  that 
was  all  they  wanted,  for  'twas  the  design  of  that  accursed 
Rodrigues  to  waste  none" of  his  men  in  hand-to-hand  fight, 
but  just  riddle  us  day  after  day  with  his  large  shot  until  we 
sank  or  yielded.  But  herein  did  he  reckon  without  taking 
account  of  the  hand  of  Providence,  which  is  ever  on  the 
side  of  right  ;  though  it  does  seem  at  times  as  if  He  would 
be  for  ever  a-scourging  us.  That  night  the  waters  sank  so 
prodigiously  that  ere  daybreak  both  we  and  the  pirate  car- 
eened over  in  such  sort  that  our  guns  could  no  longer  be 
brought  to  bear  one  upon  another,  which  was  a  comfort  to 
us.  Out  of  this  pickle  was  there  no  way  until  the  waters 
should  again  swell.  Seeing  which,  this  Rodrigues  sent  me 
a  mighty  civil  letter,  saying  that  he  had  come  there  but  to 
refresh  his  company  and  get  water  ;  bearing  me  no  ill-will, 
but  rather  the  contrary ;  and  since,  as  it  was  evident,  we 
must  lie  there  neighbors  for  months  to  come,  we  should  do 
better  to  make  terms  of  peace  and  live  in  comfort  than  to 
go  plaguing  each  other  out  of  existence.  To  this  I  sent 
answer  that  I  would  by  no  means  make  terms  with  a  villain, 
and  that  if  he  would  live  he  must  keep  out  of  my  rea.cn, 


346  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

A  reply  came  saying  that  he  should  certainly  have  regard 
to  my  amiable  warning,  and  that  as  he  was  averse  to  use- 
less bloodshed,  he  should  order  his  company  to  keep  to  the 
east  of  our  position  in  their  expeditions  ashore,  and  while 
mine  kept  to  the  west  no  injury  would  be  offered  us  ;  there- 
with he  signed  himself  my  'obedient,  humble  servant,  Rod- 
rigues.' Well,  nephew,  I  perceived  it  would  be  to  our  ad- 
vantage to  agree  to  this  condition — tacitly,  for  I  would 
never  put  my  hand  to  compact  with  such  a  rascal.  And,  to 
be  brief,'  "  says  my  uncle,  "  we  passed  the  summer  without 
conversing  or  coming  to  blows  with  our  neighbors.  But 
foreseeing  full  well  that  Rodrigues,  as  soon  as  the  waters 
rose,  and  he  could  float  his  ships,  would  certainly  give  his 
company  the  pleasure  of  spoiling  us  before  going  away,  I 
took  my  measures  to  be  prepared  against  him,  keeping  my 
company  cheerful,  sober,  hopeful,  and  God-fearing,  which 
Rodrigues  could  not  do  by  his  men,  because  they  were 
naturally  of  a  violent,  willful  disposition.  So  while  mine 
daily  increased  in  steadfastness  and  vigor,  his  grew  more 
violent  and  lawless,  as  we  could  hear  every  night  by  their 
drunken  revelry  and  singing  of  filthy  songs.  And  then, 
knowing  the  advantage  must  be  to  him  who  could  first  get 
afloat,  I  did  secretly  by  night  convey  all  my  heavy  stores 
out  of  this  ship  into  my  companion  bark,  keeping  aboard 
only  such  shot  as  I  intended  to  deliver  into  that  scurvy 
pirate.  The  first  day  of  the  rains  we  lifted  ;  yet  I  still  of 
purpose  kept  her  careened  over  to  deceive  Rodrigues.  The 
second  morning,  the  water  having  risen  in  the  bay  still 
further,  I  found  we  might  contrive,  with  the  next  breeze, 
to  right  the  ship  and  get  into  that  deeper  water  where  the 
Black  Death  lay  ;  and  with  this  design  I  got  all  my  men  to 
their  posts,  and  everything  ready  for  a  speedy  start.  In 
the  afternoon  came  a  sweet  little  breeze  from  the  land,  on 
which  I  gave  the  signal ;  and  all  replying  with  a  hearty 
cheer  and  stout  hearts,  we  presently  righted  ourselves,  and 
shaking  out  our  sails  slid  easily  off  the  sand,  like  a  duck  into 
a  mill-pond.  And  now,  nephew,  I  bore  right  up  to  Rodri- 
gues with  a  warlike  blast  of  our  trumpets,  and  passing  to 
that  side  of  her  where  she  lay  exposed  below  the  water- 
line,  I  poured  such  a  volley  through  her  timbers  as  would 
stay  her  from  taking  to  the  water  if  she  had  the  mind, 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          347 

Then  wore  we  ronnd  by  her  other  side,  and  gave  her  just 
such  another  dose  wer  her  bulwarks  and  through  i.<_r  decks ; 
hut  my  gunners,  at  my  desire,  did  take  especial  care  to 
bruise  all  her  boats,  so  that  they  could  not  put  oft"  to  our 
attack-  And  having  served  Rodrigues'  ship  in  this  sort, 
we  wore  away  and  served  his  consort — for  they  were  a 
couple — in  the  like  fashion.  In  fine,  Benet,  we  riddled  'em 
both  like  a  pair  of  colanders,  and  seeing  by  the  disablement 
of  their  boats  that  they  could  neither  do  us  any  further 
mischief,  I  held  off,  knowing  they  must  come  to  yield  them- 
selves up  to  our  mercy  in  the  end  from  sheer  starvation  ; 
for  they  had  no  store  aboard,  by  reason  of  '•heir  wilful  im- 
providence and  headstrong  insubordination,  anv»  no  means 
to  provide  themselves  with  necessaries  from  the  j&pd 
neither,  now  that  every  boat  was  disabled.  We  counted 
that  a  few  days  would  humble  Rodrigues  and  bring  his 
rascals  to  their  knees  ;  but  they  were  in  no  mood  to  suffer 
privation  long,  and  that  very  evening  one  of  their  number 
swam  to  us,  while  his  fellows  spread  out  a  white  sheet  over 
the  side  of  their  ship  for  a  sign  of  peace.  Coming  aboard, 
this  messenger  said  he  had  been  sent  by  his  commanders, 
Edward  Parsons  and  Sanchey  Rodrigues,  to  acknowledge 
themselves  at  my  mercy,  ana  to  know  what  terms  I  would 
make  with  them  and  their  company. 

"  '  Surrender  yourselves  prisoners  to  me  ,'  says  I,  '  and 
you  shall  receive  such  treatment  at  my  hands  as  humanity 
prescribes,  until  I  may  deliver  you  to  the  ministers  of  jus- 
tice to  be  dealt  with  according  to  your  deserts.' 

" '  Why,  your  honor,'  says  he  ruefully,  '  that  is  but  to 
offer  us  a  safe  conduct  to  the  gallows  ;  and  for  my  own 
part  I  would  as  soon  trust  to  Providence  in  these  wilds  as 
to  justice  in  England.  Tis  hard  on  us  poor  fellows,  who 
would  die  honest  men,  and  have  no  love  for  such  plaguy 
adventures  as  those  who  have  brought  us  to  ruin." 

"  '  Nay,'  says  I,  "if  you  would  have  indulgence  of  me  I 
must  have  good  assurance  that  you  are  not  willing  accom- 
plices of  your  commanders.' 

"'I  take  your  honor  at  that,"  says  he  qui^Hy,  "for 
though  I  be  here  in  the  name  of  our  commanders,  my  chief 
purpose  is  to  plead  for  my  mates.  You  shall  have  that 


348  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

assurance  you  demand  before  another  day  is  past :  set  every 
one  of  us  down  for  a  born  scoundrel  else.' 

"  And  with  that  he  leaps  into  the  sea,  and  swims  back  to 
his  ship.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  following  we  were 
aroused  by  shots  fired  on  the  Black  Death,  whereby  we 
knew  that  the  men  had  risen  in  mutiny  against  their  cap- 
tains ;  but  clearly  they  were  prepared  for  this  assault,  for 
the  fighting  continued  on  and  off  all  that  night  and  best 
part  of  the  day  following  ;  but  about  six  in  the  evening  the 
battle  grew  to  its  loudest,  and  after  half  an  hour  we  per- 
ceived that  it  'twas  decided  one  way  or  the  other  by  the 
firing  coming  to  an  end,  and  a  prodigious  cheer  being 
raised.  Nor  were  we  long  in  learning  how  matters  stood, 
for  shortly  after  the  company,  coming  to  the  side  of  their 
ship  with  a  waving  of  hats  and  much  hallooing,  swung  up 
that  wretch  Rodrigues  and  his  fellow,  Parsons,  by  their 
necks  to  the  yard-arm." 

When  my  uncle  had  made  an  end  of  his  discourse,  I  ven- 
tured to  ask  him  if  he  had  chanced  to  hear  anything  of  Sir 
Harry  Smidmore  since  he  had  been  lying  in  these  parts. 

"  '  Nay,"  says  he,  "  I  have  seen  naught  of  him  ;  but  I 
got  tidings  of  him  only  yesterday  from  one  of  the  pirates 
we  have  now  aboard.  He  tells  me  that  before  coming 
hither  Rodrigues  put  ashore  on  that  island  where  he  set 
you  and  Smidmore,  to  see  if  hardship  had  subdued  your 
spirits  and  inclined  you  to  cast  in  your  lot  with  him. 
There,  on  a  post  planted  in  the  shore,  they  found  a  bottle 
tied,  with  a  letter  inside  it  signed  by  Sir  Harry,  telling  how 
— to  his  great  joy  and  the  praise  of  Heaven — he  had  been 
found  by  an  honest  merchant  putting  in  for  water,  and  was 
about  to  sail  with  him  thence  for  the  city  of  Bristol.  And 
so,  Benet,"  says  he,  "  you  have  no  reason  to  torment  your- 
self on  that  score." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          349 


CHAPTER  LXVII. 

LADY  BIDDY  BREAKS  HER  TROTH,  AND  WE  HEAR  FALMOUTH 
BELLS  AGAIN. 

OUR  carpenters  set  to  work  and  patched  up  the  sides  of 
the  pirate  ships  without  delay,  so  that  when  the  water 
gained  still  more  they  floated  without  leakage. 

While  this  \vas  doing,  the  rest  of  the  companies  were 
mightily  busy  making  all  ready  for  our  departure.  And  to 
see  the  nimble  bustle  on  all  sides,  and  to  hear  the  lively 
mirth,  mingled  with  snatches  of  sea-songs,  in  every  part, 
one  would  have  thought  there  was  not  a  sad  heart  aboard  ; 
yet,  Lord  knows,  there  was  one  amongst  them  as  heavy  and 
dull  as  lead.  For  now  I  could  reckon  the  number  of  days 
(within  a  few)  that  it  would  take  us  to  reach  England  ; 
and  once  my  Lady  Biddy  was  landed  there,  and  I  was 
assured  that  Smidmore  was  alive,  I  must  quit  her  forever, 
and  go  elsewhere  to  finish  the  rest  of  my  life  as  I  best  could 
alone.  However,  I  did  my  utmost  to  bear  a  cheerful  and 
contented  mien,  for  killjoy  is  but  a  poor  friend.  1  could 
find  nothing  to  talk  upon  without  restraint ;  but  I  went 
about  with  a  quick  step,  as  though  I  had  all  the  business  in 
the  world  to  look  after,  and  made  a  good  pretense  to  sing 
songs  and  whistle  old  tunes — though  they  nearly  choked 
me,  for  I  could  recall  none  but  the  ditties  my  dear  lady 
and  I  used  to  sing  together  in  our  home  in  the  cave. 
Nevertheless,  despite  my  whistling,  etc.,  I  could  see  my 
dear  cousin  was  anxious  about  me — for  women  do  see 
through  deceit  and  right  into  the  very  heart  of  a  man  as 
we  can  in  no  wise  ;  and  many  a  time  out  of  the  corner  of 
my  eye  I  perceived  her  watching  of  me  with  grave  eyes  and 
a  drawn  face — nay,  once  when  I  broke  off  whistling  because 
I  found  I  had  got  on  to  the  tune  of  "  Spring  flowers  be 
sweet "  (which  was  our  old  favorite  song),  I  saw  her  turn 
away  with  her  dear  eyes  full  of  tears. 

To  cut  this  matter  short,  we  set  sail  ere  long,  and  with  a 
prosperous  gale  came  ere  long  to  the  Canaries,  where  we 
rested  to  re-victual  and  better  equip  ourselves.  Here  were 
two  or  three  English  ships  ;  and  one  day  Sir  Bartlemy, 
having  come  from  a  visit  to  one  of  our  countrymen,  told 


35°  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

me  that  he  had  learned  for  a  certainty  that  Sir  Harry  Smid- 
moie  was  in  England,  and  that  aii  lue  world  did  talk  of  his 
escape,  etc.,  etc. 

Hearing  this,  I  perceived  that  now  the  time  was  come 
for  making  my  last  sacrifice  ;  for  'twas  useless  to  return  to 
England,  and,  worse  than  that,  to  pain  my  dear  lady  with 
that  dejection  of  spirit  which  I  could  not  conceal.'  And 
so,  after  a  night  of  such  bitter  struggling  between  my  baser 
and  better  self  as  I  am  willing  to  pass  over,  I  went  to  my 
uncle,  as  he  sat  alone  in  his  cabin,  and  told  him  I  had  given 
up  my  design  of  returning  to  England  with  him,  and  should 
count  it  a  favor  if  he  would  entrust  me  with  one  of  the 
ships  to  go  a-trading  as  his  agent  to  Campeachy  and  those 
regions. 

"  Why,  what  maggot  has  bit  you,  nephew  ?  "  says  he  in 
amaze.  "  You  have  shown  no  disposition  to  go  roaming 
since  we  quitted  the  Oronoque  ;  nay,  it  seemed  to  me  that 
your  sole  joy  was  to  be  with  us,  and  that  you  could  not  rest 
out  of  sight  of  niece  Biddy." 

That  was  indeed  true,  but  I  felt  I  must  indulge  this  de- 
light no  longer,  but  break  away  from  that  perilous,  passion- 
ate attachment  while  I  had  the  manhood  to  obey  the  advice 
of  my  conscience.  But  I  could  not  explain  this  to  my  un- 
cle, and  so  hung  my  head  in  silence,  being  as  sore  at  heart 
as  any  man  could  be. 

"  Do  you  feel  it  is  your  duty,  Benet  ? "  says  my  uncle 
tenderly,  after  a  pause  ;  seeing,  as  I  take  it,  how  matters 
stood. 

I  nodded  my  head,  not  daring  to  speak,  lest  my  strength 
should  give  way  under  the  strain  of  anguish  that  I  felt  in 
thinking  1  must  never  again  see  my  dear  lady. 

"  In  that  case,  dear  fellow,"  says  the  kind-hearted  old 
gentleman,  getting  up  and  laying  his  hand  on  my  neck, 
"God  forbid  I  should  balk  your  design.  You  shall  have  a 
ship,  and  means  for  your  venture,  to  boot,  as  being  but  a 
little  out  of  that  great  store  of  gold  we  have  taken  from 
the  pirates.  May  the  Lord  prosper  you  in  all  yon  under- 
take, as  doubtless  he  will,  b^in^  just  as  well  as  merciful." 

"  We  will  say  naught  of  this  to  my  Lady  Biddy,  uncle," 
says  I,  "  for  I  know  not  how  to  explain  my  sudden  turn  of 
intention  to  her  satisfaction." 


THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE.          35 « 

"  As  you  will,  nephew,"  says  he — "  as  you  will." 

Then,  taking  iny  friend  Matthew  Pennyfardcj  aside,  I 
•sked  him  if  he  would  come  with  me  and  share  my  for- 
tunes. 

"  Lord  love  you,  master,"  says  he,  "  that  will  I  with  all 
my  heart,  be  it  anywhere  in  the  world." 

So  we  secretly  fitted  out  a  ship,  and  got  all  ready  for  the 
venture  I  had  in  my  mind  ;  and  there  was  nothing  left  to 
do  but  to  bid  my  dear  lady  farewell,  which  was  the  thing  I 
dreaded  woefully,  yet  saw  no  way  of  avoiding.  However, 
the  night  before  I  designed  to  set  sail,  my  uncle  undertook 
to  break  the  news  to  my  lady  lightly,  as  if  'twere  a  sudden 
whimsey  that  possessed  me. 

The  next  morning  as  I  sat  in  my  cabin,  looking  at  the 
card  which  was  to  guide  me  to  Campeachy,  but  my  eye 
wandering  from  that  part  to  the  wilderness  where  the 
sweetest  moments  of  my  existence  had  been  passed,  my 
lady  came  on  board,  and  ere  I  knew  it  stole  to  my  side. 

"  Is  that  where  you  are  going,  Benet  ?  "  says  she,  leaning 
over  my  shoulder. 

"  Ay,"  says  I,  stammering  like  a  fool  ;  "  Sir  Bartlemy 
has  told  you  ?  " 

"  Yes, '  says  she,  "  and  I've  come  to  know  where  you 
mean  to  bestow  your  little  comrade." 

"  My  little  comrade  ? "  says  I,  choking  with  despair  ;  "  I 
have  none." 

"  What's  become  of  the  little  comrade  ?  "  asks  she. 

I  could  make  no  reply  save  by  putting  my  finger  on  the 
map  where,  as  I  guessed,  we  had  encountered  the  party 
sent  to  meet  us,  and  my  little  comrade  had  put  off  her 
stripling's  dress  and  donned  her  gown  again. 

"  Your  little  comrade,"  says  she,  bending  over  me  till  her 
glowing  cheek  was  side  by  side  with  mine — "  your  little 
comrade  has  changed  her  dress,  but  not  her  heart,  Benet. 
The  little  comrade  who  saw  you  striving  to  be  a  brother, 
knew  you  to  be  a  lover,  and  liked  you  none  the  less  because 
you  failed.  To  hide  your  love  was  an  effort  ;  to  hide  mine 
a  grief.  Now  you  know  why  I  was  dull,  Benet.  I  was  sick 
of  love,  dear — sick  of  love." 

And  with  that  she  laid  her  cheek  to  mine,  and  such  rap- 
ture seized  me  that  I  knew  not  what  I  did. 


35 2  THE  ADMIRABLE  LADY  BIDDY  FANE. 

Yet  presently  a  sudden  recollection  chilled  me,  and  I 
said  with  a  groan,  "  Smidmore  !  " 

"  Smidmore  !  "  says  she,  her  pretty  brows  creasing  in 
anger  and  her  lip  curling  with  scorn.  "  Hast  not  my  uncle 
told  you  of  his  treachery  ?  " 

"  His  treachery  !  "  said  I  in  amaze — "  never  a  word." 

"  'Tis  because  he  would  hide  the  weakness  and  shame  of 
a  man  he  had  taken  for  a  friend.  When  he  found  we  were 
gone  from  England  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  flattery  of 
his  friends  :  and  instead  of  following  us  to  our  help,  as  we 
followed  him,  is  paying  his  court  to  another.  But  why 
should  I  be  vexed  with  him  ?  "  says  she,  her  face  melting 
with  sweet  kindness  ;  "  for,  sure,  no  troth  should  bind  us 
when  we  cease  to  love.  And,  in  truth,  dear  Benet,  had  he 
been  constant  I  must  have  broken  my  pledge,  having  no 
love  but  for  you,  dear — no  love  but  for  you.  Take  me, 
sweetheart,"  adds  she,  stretching  forth  her  hands,  "  or  else 
I  die  an  old  maid." 


THE     END. 


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NOV  08  133S 


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